BV  1522  .M374  1918 
Martin,  Alfred  Wilhelm. 
Worship  in  the  Sunday  school 


I* » 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


v 


WORSHIP  IN  THE 
SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


FOR  WORKERS  IN  SMALL 
SCHOOLS 


■v^ 


BY 


^s^  OF  PRl)^ 

/^..   '^  1:32 


A.  W.  MARTIN 

C.  A.  BOWEN,  D.D.,  General  Editor 


NASHVILLE,  TENN. 
COKESBURY  PRESS 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 
COPYRIGHT,  MCMXVIII 
BY    LAMAR     &    W  H  I  T  M  O  R  E 

All    rights    reserved,    including    that    of    translation 
into  foreign  languages,   including  the   Scandinavian 


Set  up,  electrotypcd,  printed,  and  bound 
by  the  Parthenon  Craftsmen  at  Nashville, 
Tennessee,    United    States    of    America 


DEDICATED 

TO 

THE  HUNDREDS  OF  CONSECRATED  WORKERS  IN  VILLAGE 

AND  OPEN  COUNTRY  SUNDAY  SCHOOLS  WHO  ARE 

STRIVING  WITH  LIMITED  MEANS  AND 

MANY  DIFFICULTIES  TO  SHARE 

WITH  THEIR  PUPILS 

IN  CHRISTIAN 

WORSHIP 


FOREWORD 

My  first  experience  in  Church  work  of  any  kind  was 
as  a  Sunday  school  superintendent.  As  a  sixteen-year- 
old  boy  I  was  elected  superintendent  of  a  country 
Sunday  school.  This  school  met  in  a  one-room  church, 
and  its  average  attendance  for  the  first  year  of  my 
superintendency  was  thirty-nine.  There  were  five 
classes,  and  the  worship  service  was  known  as  the 
''opening  exercise."  As  the  superintendent  was  ex- 
pected to  lead  the  school  in  "reading  the  lesson"  every 
Sunday  morning,  it  was  real  exercise,  especially  when 
the  lesson  happened  to  contain  unpronounceable 
proper  names. 

One  of  the  outstanding  needs  of  this  one-room  Sunday 
school  was  help  in  leading  its  members  in  the  highest 
of  all  human  activities — the  worship  of  God.  And  I  am 
sure  that  after  these  many  years  it,  and  thousands  of 
other  Sunday  schools  similar  to  it,  still  need  this  help. 
At  any  rate,  more  than  twenty  years  of  intimate  asso- 
ciation as  superintendent,  teacher,  pastor,  and  field 
worker  with  the  workers  in  hundreds  of  small  Sunday 
schools  have  proved  to  me  that  it  is  so. 

The  purpose  of  this  book,  therefore,  is  to  help  workers 
— pastors,  officers,  teachers,  and  pupils — in  small 
Sunday  schools  to  share  more  effectively  in  Christian 
worship.  An  effort  is  made  to  help  these  workers  in 
three  main  directions. 

First,  to  help  them  enter  into  the  experience  of 
Christian  worship  and  understand  what  really  happens 
there. 

7 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


Second,  to  offer  workable  suggestions  for  making 
worship  a  vital  part  of  the  work  of  the  Sunday  school. 

Third,  to  direct  the  school  in  finding  suitable  ma- 
terials for  use  in  its  worship  services. 

In  the  Appendix,  I  have  attempted  to  provide  a 
limited  amount  of  worship  material,  and  to  make  sug- 
gestions for  further  additions,  with  the  hope  that  many 
schools  will  be  encouraged  to  start  a  collection  of  their 
own. 

Every  effort  has  been  made  to  ascertain  the  owners  of 
copyright  material  and  to  give  due  credit.  Since  this 
has  not  always  been  possible,  proper  acknowledgment 
will  be  made  as  soon  as  convenient  after  notification. 

If  I  undertook  to  acknowledge  my  debt  to  all  who 
have  kindly  shared  with  me  in  preparing  this  material, 
I  should  not  know  where  to  begin  or  end.  I  do,  how- 
ever, wish  to  acknowledge  a  special  debt  to  the  Editorial 
and  Administrative  Staffs  of  the  General  Sunday  School 
Board  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 
under  whose  general  supervision  this  book  was  written. 
Rev.  J.  Q.  Schisler,  Miss  Lucy  Foreman,  Miss  Mary 
Skinner,  Mr.  O.  S.  Gates,  and  Miss  Barnett  Spratt, 
read  the  manuscript  and  made  many  helpful  suggestions. 

To  all  these,  and  to  Mrs.  Martin,  whose  sympathy 
and  encouragement  made  the  preparation  of  this  book 
possible,  I  hereby  express  my  sincere  thanks. 

The  Author. 
8 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  Page 

I.  The  Meaning  of  Christian  Worship 11 

II.  The  Place  of  Worship  in  the  Work  of 

THE  Sunday  School 22 

III.  Materials  of  Worship — Principles  Gov- 

erning Selection  and  Use 31 

IV.  Materials  of  Worship — Prayer 42 

V.  Materials  of  Worship — Music 55 

VI.  Other  Materials  of  Worship 70 

VII.  Planning  Programs  FOR  Worship  Services.    87 

VIII.  Organizing  for  Worship 95 

IX.  Preparing  the  Way  for  Better  Worship 

Services 106 

X.  Leading  the  Worship  Service 117 

XI.  Group  Worship    in    the    Small    Sunday 

School 126 

XII.  Worship  and  Everyday  Living 138 

Appendix: 

1.  Worship  Services  for  Study 149 

2.  Materials  for  Use  in  Worship  Services 156 

3.  Starting  a  Library  of  Worship  Materials. . .  161 

9 


CHAPTER  I 
THE  MEANING  OF  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP 

A  GROUP  of  Sunday  school  officers  and  teachers  was 
discussing  the  many  problems  connected  with  their 
work.  One  after  another,  they  had  raised  questions 
about  improving  what  they  called  the  "opening  ex- 
ercise" of  the  school.  All  seemed  to  agree  that  this 
service  was  usually  dry  and  uninteresting.  One  teacher 
went  so  far  as  to  say  that  she  considered  it  a  plain  waste 
of  time;  the  class  session  was  the  most  important 
feature  of  the  school,  and  she,  for  one,  wanted  more  time 
to  ''teach  her  class." 

The  meeting  was  about  to  adjourn  when  a  young 
man  who  had  recently  come  into  the  community  as  a 
teacher  in  the  new  consolidated  high  school,  and  who 
for  two  Sundays  had  served  as  teacher  of  the  Young 
People's  Class,  asked  permission  to  speak. 

"I  wonder,"  he  began  as  everybody  settled  back  to 
hear  what  the  newcomer  had  to  say,  "if  we  have  realized 
that  in  the  so-called  opening  exercise  we  have  the  op- 
portunity for  a  really  worth-while  worship  service." 

"A  worship  service!"  exclaimed  the  superintendent. 
"Everybody  would  soon  get  tired  of  doing  nothing  but 
pray." 

"Surely,  you  do  not  think  of  worship,'*  continued  the 
young  man,  "as  being  limited  to  saying  prayers.  To  me, 
worship  means — well,  worship  means  much  in  addition 
to  the  saying  of  prayers." 

"Tell    us   what   worship   means."      Two    or    three 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


teachers  were  speaking  at  once,  but  the  young  man 
had  already  said  more  than  he  intended. 

Turning  to  the  superintendent,  he  said:  "I  doubt  if 
any  one  of  us  can  describe  what  worship  really  means  in 
our  lives  without  taking  a  little  time  to  think  the  matter 
over.  If  it  meets  the  approval  of  the  other  officers  and 
teachers,  I  would  like  to  suggest  that  we  meet  again 
next  week  for  the  purpose  of  trying  to  find  out  the  mean- 
ing of  worship.  To  make  the  purpose  of  our  meeting 
perfectly  clear,  I  move  that  we  discuss  the  question, 
What  happens  when  we  worship?" 

The  meeting  adjourned  with  the  teacher  of  the  In- 
termediate boys  saying:  "That  is  a  good  question. 
I  have  been  wanting  to  help  the  members  of  my  class 
take  greater  interest  in  the  regular  Church  services. 
This  discussion  ought  to  help  me.  I  will  certainly  be 
there." 

What  Happens  When  We  Worship? 

At  the  meeting  a  week  later,  the  high  school  teacher 
was  appointed  to  lead  the  discussion.  He  plunged  right 
into  the  heart  of  the  problem  by  insisting  that  each 
person  present  face  squarely  and  answer  to  the  best  of 
his  ability  the  question,  "What  happens  when  we 
worship  ?"  It  was  a  hard  question.  No  one  seemed  will- 
ing to  venture  an  answer. 

The  leader  emphasized  his  question  by  making  it 
even  more  personal.  "What  happens  to  me  when  I 
worship?" 

"It  makes  you  feel  good,"  finally  suggested  the 
teacher  of  the  Primary  Class. 

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MEANING  OF  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP 


"It  makes  you  feel  mighty  mean,  sometimes.'* 
This  from  the  secretary. 

"  I  should  think  it  would  make  you  feel  mean,  after  the 
way" 

The  leader  arose  with  a  smile.  "That  is  true,"  he 
said;  "but  why  does  the  worship  experience  make  one 
feel  so  mean  sometimes?" 

"  Because  it  makes  us  realize  that  we  are  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God,"  replied  the  secretary. 

"Not  only  that,"  interrupted  the  teacher  of  the  In- 
termediate boys,  "but  I  am  always  able  to  see  the  facts 
of  everyday  life  in  a  clearer  light  when  I  am  worshiping. 
Just  last  Sunday,  while  we  were  singing  the  hymn 
'A  Charge  to  Keep  I  Have,'  my  work  as  a  Sunday  school 
teacher  seemed  to  stand  out  before  my  eyes  in  clearer 
light  than  ever  before.  Then  and  there,  I  dedicated  all 
the  resources  of  my  life  to  the  task  of  making  myself  a 
better  teacher." 

"You  are  on  the  right  track,"  replied  the  leader. 
"  In  fact,  you  have  mentioned  two  very  important  things 
that  happen  when  we  worship.  Not  only  do  we  see  the 
facts  of  life  more  distinctly  in  the  clear  light  of  God's 
presence,  but  this  vision  of  everyday  tasks  is  followed 
naturally  by  a  desire  to  give  our  lives  as  colaborers 
with  God  in  building  a  Christian  world." 

"One  other  question.  What  happened  when  you 
dedicated  your  life  to  the  task  of  becoming  a  better 
teacher?" 

For  a  moment  the  teacher  of  the  Intermediate  boys 
was  silent.     Then,  as  a  light  spread  over  his  face  he 

13 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


answered;  "Never  in  my  life  have  I  felt  so  perfectly  at 
home  in  the  presence  of  God." 

"You  are  exactly  right,"  exclaimed  the  leader. 
"Worship  is  such  an  intimate  experience  of  fellowship 
with  God  that  we  should  feel  very  much  at  home  in  his 
presence.  St.  Paul  was  thinking  of  this  experience  when 
he  reminded  the  Philippians  of  the  peace  that  passeth 
understanding  (  Phil.  4:  7). 

"But  before  we  close  the  discussion,  suppose  we  list 
the  various  things  that  members  of  the  group  have 
described  as  happening  in  the  worship  experience. 

"1.  The  worshiper  realizes  that  he  is  in  the  presence  of 
God,  In  the  language  of  the  old  prophet,  he  sees  the 
Lord  'high  and  lifted  up.' 

"2.  The  worshiper  feels  his  own  unworthiness.  The 
contrast  of  his  life  with  the  goodness  of  God  is  so  great 
that  a  feeling  of  humility  and  unworthiness  sweeps  over 
him. 

"3.  The  worshiper  sees  the  realities  of  life  in  a  clearer 
light  than  ever  before.  That  is,  he  begins  to  see  that 
Christian  worship  is  something  more  than  singing 
praises  about  the  greatness  and  goodness  of  God. 
There  is  work  to  be  done  and  there  are  wrongs  to  be 
righted,  not  only  in  the  world  at  large,  but  in  his  own 
community.  And  in  doing  this  work  and  righting  these 
wrongs,  God  needs  our  help. 

"4.  The  worshiper  dedicates  himself  to  the  task  of 
helping  God  in  building  a  better  world.  This  dedication 
should  be  in  terms  of  some  immediate  task. 

"5.  ^  feeling  of  peace  fills  the  worshiper* s  life.  This 
is  the  peace  that  comes  to  the  man  who,  knowing  the 

14 


MEANING  OF  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP 


difficulties  and  dangers  in  the  way  of  life  goes  on 
unafraid  because  his  life  is  dedicated  to  doing  the  will  of 
God." 

As  the  leader  finished  writing  this  analysis  of  the  wor- 
ship experience  on  the  blackboard,  the  pastor  suggested 
that  there  was  one  other  factor  that  should  be  included. 

"What  is  that?"  asked  several  voices. 

"It  has  been  my  experience,"  continued  the  pastor, 
"that  I  worship  most  eflFectively  when  I  want  to  wor- 
ship." 

"That  is  a  good  suggestion,"  responded  the  leader; 
"and  back  of  it  is  the  principle  that  is  sometimes  de- 
scribed as  one  of  the  laws  of  learning.  That  is,  we  learn 
most  effectively  when  we  want  to  learn." 

"Then,  worship  is  really  an  experience  in  which  we 
are  supposed  to  learn?"  questioned  the  teacher  of  In- 
termediate boys. 

"To  be  sure.    Why  not?" 

"Well,  that  is  a  new  idea  to  me." 

"No,  it  isn't  new,"  explained  the  leader.  "You 
pointed  out  earlier  in  the  discussion  that  the  worship 
experience  always  helped  you  to  understand  more 
clearly  the  work  that  you  should  do  with  your  class  of 
boys.    That  was  learning  in  the  real  sense  of  the  word." 

"Well,  if  that  is  true,  from  this  time  on  I  am  going  to 
take  a  greater  interest  in  the  worship  services  of  the 
Church  and  Sunday  school.  Certainly  there  are  a  great 
many  things  that  I  need  to  learn." 

"What  are  some  of  them?"  asked  the  leader. 

"Let  me  illustrate  from  my  own  experience:  I  am  try- 
ing to  live  the  Christian  life,  but  I  find  it  difficult  to 

15 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


feel  and  think  and  act  as  a  Christian  in  all  the  relation- 
ships of  daily  life.  Now,  it  seems  clear  to  me  that 
Christian  worship  should  help  me  to  feel  as  a  Christian 
should  toward  God  and  my  fellow  man;  that  it  should 
help  me  to  think  through  the  issues  and  problems  of  life 
more  clearly;  and  finally,  that  it  should  help  me  to 
want  to  go  out  into  our  community  and  act  as  a  Chris- 
tian man  should." 

"That  IS  a  good  statement  of  some  of  the  things  that 
we  should  learn  through  worship.  I  suggest  that  we 
keep  them  in  mind  as  we  plan  the  worship  services  of 
the  Church  and  Sunday  school,"  suggested  the  pastor. 

"One  moment,"  interrupted  the  leader.  "Before  we 
close  the  discussion  I  want  to  call  your  attention  to  the 
fact  that  we  have  unconsciously  placed  fellowship  with 
God  at  the  very  center  of  the  worship  experience." 

"That  is  exactly  as  it  should  be  in  Christian  worship," 
exclaimed  the  pastor. 

"I  am  sure  that  you  are  stating  a  fundamental 
truth,"  continued  the  leader;  "but  I  am  wondering  if 
the  reason  back  of  the  failure  of  many  people  to  worship 
effectively  isn't  their  false  ideas  about  God  and  his  part 
in  the  worship  experience." 

"You  may  be  right,"  answered  the  pastor.  "I  sug- 
gest that  we  discuss  this  question  at  our  next  meeting." 

God  in  Christian  Worship 

At  the  beginning  of  the  next  meeting  the  leader 
opened  the  discussion  with  this  question:  "Since  fel- 
lowship with  God  is  at  the  very  center  of  Christian 

16 


MEANING  OF  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP 


worship,  is  it  not  necessary  for  those  who  would  worship 
most  effectively  to  have  a  Christian  conception  of  God?" 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that  term?"  asked  the  secre- 
tary. 

"I'm  glad  you  asked  that  question,"  replied  the 
leader.  "  'The  Christian  conception  of  God  '  is  not  only 
a  big  phrase,  but  it  is  packed  full  of  meaning.  We  are 
using  it  here  to  include  all  that  we  think  of  God  as  being 
and  doing.'' 

"O,"  exclaimed  the  secretary,  "you  mean  your  idea  of 
Godr 

"That's  it.  Everything  that  one  thinks  of  as  being  a 
part  of  God's  character,  or  a  part  of  his  dealings  with 
men — all  this  goes  to  make  up  one's  conception  of 
God. 

"With  that  point  clearly  in  mind,  suppose  we  turn  to 
the  New  Testament  for  a  picture  of  the  God  revealed 
through  the  life  and  teachings  of  Jesus." 

The  discussion  ran  through  two  full  evenings.  The 
members  of  the  group  were  surprised  again  and  again 
to  find  that  their  conceptions  of  God  were  based  upon 
the  Old  Testament  rather  than  upon  the  teachings  of 
Jesus.  At  the  close,  the  leader  summed  up  the  discus- 
sion in  the  following  way: 

"  1 .  The  God  revealed  hy  Jesus  is  a  loving  Father. 
Most  of  us  think  of  God  as  a  loving  heavenly  Father  in  a 
vague,  indefinite  sort  of  way.  We  know  that  he  'so 
loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,'  but  that 
was  two  thousand  years  ago,  and  somehow  it  is  diflficult 
for  us  to  think  of  God  really  loving  us  here  and  now. 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


*'2.  He  is  a  wise  and  just  Father,  Judging  from  the 
prayers  one  often  hears  in  Sunday  school  and  church, 
God  is  seldom  thought  of  as  a  wise  Father.  He  is  ad- 
vised to  do  this,  and  begged  to  do  that,  until  any  at- 
tempt on  his  part  to  answer  these  prayers  would  result 
in  disaster.  Much  of  our  lack  of  faith  in  God's  willing- 
ness to  answer  prayer  is  due  to  our  offering  such  prayers 
as  would  bring  disaster  upon  us  if  they  were  answered 
in  the  way  and  manner  that  we  seem  to  expect. 

"God,  the  loving  Father,  is  not  only  wise  in  his  deal- 
ings with  men,  but  he  is  also  fair  and  just.  Men  often 
deal  unfairly  with  God  in  ways  that  on  the  surface 
seem  to  have  little  to  do  with  religion.  Using  the  best 
of  the  crops  for  one's  own  pleasure  is  dealing  unfairly 
with  God.  Working  so  hard  through  the  week  that  we 
are  too  tired  to  take  our  place  in  the  Sunday  school  and 
church  is  dealing  unjustly  both  with  God  and  ourselves. 

"Sometimes,  the  ordinary  events  of  life  are  so  inter- 
preted as  to  make  God  appear  to  deal  unfairly  with  his 
children.  An  accident  in  which  a  child  is  killed  is  ex- 
plained as  being  God's  way  of  punishing  a  wicked  father. 
A  storm,  an  illness,  or  misfortune  of  any  kind  is  inter- 
preted as  being  a  special  punishment  sent  by  God.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  blessings  of  life  are  interpreted  as 
special  presents  from  God  for  being  good.  He  is  made 
to  appear  as  giving  some  people  far  more  than  they 
deserve  simply  because  they  have  kept  from  doing 
wrong. 

"3.  He  is  the  Father  of  all  men,  Jesus  taught  us  to 
say  our  Father.  Most  of  us  say  our  with  our  lips  and 
think  my  in  our  hearts.    The  prayer  of  the  man  who 

18 


MEANING  OF  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP 


prayed  fervently,  'O  Lord,  save  me  and  my  wife;  my 
son  John  and  his  wife;  us  four,  and  no  more,*  is  illustra- 
tive of  the  spirit  of  much  of  our  thinking  about  God  in 
his  relations  toward  other  men. 

"God  loves  every  person  in  the  world  equally.  This 
does  not  mean  that  he  loves  the  wicked  ways  of  men. 
It  is  the  person  who  is  loved,  not  his  sinful  thoughts  and 
deeds. 

"The  Christian  religion  is  for  all  men.  And  he  who 
would  make  the  realities  of  this  religion  his  own  must 
be  willing  to  share  with  God  the  Father  sincere  love  for 
all  men  everywhere. 

"The  sharing  of  God's  blessings  with  others  must  be 
more  than  vague  expressions  of  good  wishes.  It  must 
take  the  form  of  active  good  will  toward  all  from  the 
humblest  neighbor  to  the  members  of  other  races  in  dis- 
tant lands. 

"4.  He  is  God  the  Father  almighty.  The  triumphs  of 
men  over  the  forces  of  nature  have  been  so  wonderful  in 
the  last  few  years  that  now  almost  everything  is  taken 
for  granted.  Earth  and  sea  and  air  have  yielded  up 
their  mysteries  until  man,  the  master,  is  in  danger  of 
thinking  that  there  is  no  need  for  God  to  rule  over  all. 

"  In  this  day  of  dependence  upon  self  there  is  need  for 
man  to  learn  afresh  the  lesson  of  awe  and  reverence  that 
moved  the  Psalmist  to  write:  The  heavens  declare  the 
glory  of  God;  and  the  firmament  showeth  his  handi- 
work' (Ps.  19:  1). 

"5.  He  is  a  colahorer  with  men.  Our  highest  privilege 
is  that  of  working  with  God  in  the  making  of  a  better 
world.    Jesus  worked  with  his  disciples.    In  such  events 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


as  the  feeding  of  the  five  thousand  we  are  plainly  taught 
that  God  does  not  do  for  men  the  things  that  they  can  do 
for  themselves. 

"Everywhere  about  us  we  see  evidences  of  God's 
willingness  to  cooperate  with  men.  Not  an  ear  of  corn 
ripens  to  maturity  nor  a  boll  of  cotton  opens  to  the  sun 
without  God's  depending  upon  the  help  of  man.  The 
farmer,  above  all  others,  enjoys  not  only  the  privilege  of 
being  a  fellow  laborer  with  God,  but  in  a  very  real  sense 
he  has  the  honor  of  sharing  with  God  in  the  miracle  of 
creation.  To  those  who  work  with  him,  God  fulfills  the 
promise  of  his  presence  made  to  the  disciples  nearly  two 
thousand  years  ago,  'Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even 
unto  the  end  of  the  world'    (Matt.  28:  20)." 

What  Worship  Means  to  Me 

The  leader  brought  the  discussion  to  a  close  one  eve- 
ning with  this  statement:  "After  all  this  discussion  about 
what  happens  in  worship,  and  God's  part  in  it,  let  each 
one  of  us  ask  himself  a  very  personal  question:  'What 
does  worship  mean  to  me?'" 

The  teacher  of  the  Intermediate  boys  was  the  first  to 
answer.  "Here  is  a  statement,"  he  said,  "that  ex- 
presses exactly  the  meaning  of  worship  to  me." 

"Read  it  to  us." 

"It  is  very  brief:  'Worship  is  the  practice  of  the  pres- 
ence of  God.'" 

"Worship  is  coming  to  mean  more  than  the  practice 
of  the  presence  of  God  to  me,"  exclaimed  the  pastor. 
"Christian  worship  must  be  purposeful;  that  is,  if  the 
practice  of  the  presence  of  God  is  to  be  truly  worshipful 

20 


MEANING  OF  CHRISTIAN  WORSHIP 

in  our  lives,  we  must  seek  his  presence  for  the  definite 
purpose  of  bringing  our  wills  y  our  feelings,  our  motives,  our 
purposes,  our  acts — our  entire  lives — into  harmony  with  the 
will  and  purpose  of  God,  To  me,  it  is  a  very  personal 
experience.  It  demands  the  best  of  my  thinking.  It 
helps  me  to  face  the  problems  of  Hfe  and  gives  me  the 
courage  to  go  out  and  help  my  neighbors  join  with  the 
heavenly  Father  in  building  a  Christian  world." 

**The  pastor  has  expressed  my  thinking  exactly," 
said  the  superintendent,  "and  it  helps  me  to  understand 
that  one  may  worship  in  the  privacy  of  his  room  or  out  in 
the  fields  alone  with  God  just  as  certainly  as  in  the 
Church  service  on  Sunday  morning." 

"That  is  true,"  responded  the  leader,  "but  it  is  well 
for  us  to  keep  in  mind  the  fact  that  we  need  to  share  in 
both  private  and  group  worship  experiences.  There  are 
times,  of  course,  when  this  fellowship  with  God  is  best 
expressed  in  a  very  intimate  and  personal  manner;  that 
is,  with  only  God  and  the  worshiper  present.  Then, 
there  are  other  times  when  fellowship  with  him  finds  its 
highest  expression  in  company  with  one's  fellow  man; 
that  is,  in  organized  group  worship. 

"The  organized  worship  services  of  Church  and 
Sunday  school  should  not  only  provide  the  individual 
with  the  opportunity  for  actual  worship  experiences  in 
company  with  his  fellow  workers,  but  should  encourage 
him  in  the  practice  of  private  worship  by  suggesting 
ways  and  means  of  sharing  in  purposeful  fellowship 
with  God." 

21 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  PLACE  OF  WORSHIP  IN  THE  WORK  OF 
THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

The  Purpose  of  the  Sunday  School 

Why  have  worship  services  in  the  Sunday  school? 
Do  they  not  take  time  that  could  better  be  given  to  the 
teaching  of  the  lesson  in  the  classes? 

Before  answering  these  important  questions,  let  us 
ask  another:  Why  have  Sunday  school  at  all? 

To  many  persons,  the  answer  is  simple  and  easy.  The 
business  of  the  Sunday  school  is  to  teach  the  Bible. 
And  by  teaching  the  Bible  they  mean  that  the  pupils  are 
led  by  the  teacher  to  repeat  a  few  of  the  truths  con- 
tained in  it.  It  is  expected,  of  course,  that  these  truths 
will  bear  fruit  some  day  in  Christian  living,  but  little  or 
no  effort  is  made  to  help  the  pupil  understand  their 
meaning  in  his  life  here  and  now.  The  Sunday  school, 
therefore,  is  doing  about  all  that  can  be  expected  of  it 
when  it  requires  the  boys  and  girls  to  memorize  a  few 
verses  of  Scripture  and  gives  the  older  men  and  women 
an  opportunity  to  hear  Squire  Jones  or  Judge  Smith 
lecture  for  thirty  minutes  each  Sunday. 

But  an  increasing  number  of  persons  are  becoming 
dissatisfied  with  the  kind  of  Sunday  school  that  does 
nothing  more  than  provide  for  teaching  a  lesson  in  a 
cold  and  mechanical  way.  To  them,  the  Sunday  school 
should  be  a  living,  growing  institution.  It  should  be 
concerned  with  teaching  its  pupils  to  know  more  about 

22 


THE  PLACE  OF  WORSHIP 


the  Bible,  to  be  sure;  but  it  should  also  help  them  to 
think  and  feel  and  act  as  Christians  in  every  relationship 
of  life. 

This  conception  of  the  Sunday  school  as  an  institution 
for  helping  people  think  and  feel  and  act  as  Christians 
broadens  the  scope  of  its  work.  No  longer  can  the  super- 
intendent and  the  teachers  be  satisfied  with  providing 
only  for  the  teaching  of  the  lesson  in  class  groups.  Ev- 
ery minute  of  the  Sunday  school  hour  must  be  taken 
into  account  and  used  in  the  best  possible  way. 

And  when  that  is  done,  the  Sunday  school  has  just 
begun  its  work.  Religious  education  is  not  limited  to  an 
hour  on  Sunday  morning  or  to  the  spot  in  the  com- 
munity upon  which  the  church  building  happens  to 
stand ;  it  has  to  do  with  every  hour  of  the  day  and  every 
act  of  life.  While  the  Sunday  school  cannot  organize 
and  control  all  the  activities  of  the  community,  it  can 
plan  the  work  that  it  does  control  so  that  its  influence 
will  reach  into  every  phase  of  community  life.  In  a  real 
sense,  therefore,  the  Sunday  school  is  engaged  in  train- 
ing the  entire  local  church  and  community  in  the 
Christian  way  of  living  and  may  properly  be  called  the 
Church  school. 

The  Sunday  school  of  the  small  Church  is  particularly 
responsible  for  the  religious  training  of  the  entire 
community.  In  most  instances,  it  is  the  only  organiza- 
tion of  the  Church  that  maintains  anything  like  regular 
contacts  with  its  constituency.  It  includes  all  age- 
groups  in  its  membership  and  is  thereby  in  position  to 
train  the  entire  family. 

23 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


Why  Provide  for  Worship  in  the  Sunday  School? 

Let  us  now  go  back  to  the  question  that  was  raised  at 
the  beginning  of  the  chapter:  Why  have  worship  services 
in  the  Sunday  school? 

There  are  at  least  two  good  reasons : 

1.  Worship  is  in  itself  an  effective  means  of  training 
persons  in  the  Christian  way  of  life.  In  helping  people  to 
learn  to  live  as  Christians  the  Sunday  school  must  pro- 
vide ways  and  means  of  helping  them  to  practice  the 
thinking  of  Christian  thoughts,  to  practice  Christian 
attitudes  toward  all  men,  and  to  share  in  acts  of  love  and 
sacrificial  service. 

Men  are  brought  face  to  face  with  these  fundamental 
issues  of  life  in  Christian  worship.  That  is,  in  the  wor- 
ship experience  the  emphasis  is  placed  not  upon  telling  a 
man  how  he  ought  to  feel  and  act  toward  God  and  his 
fellow  man,  but  upon  helping  him  to  feel  and  act  as  he 
ought. 

Worship  is,  therefore,  an  experience  in  which  persons 
actually  learn  the  fundamentals  of  Christian  living  just 
as  effectively  as  in  the  more  commonly  recognized  ways 
of  teaching.  No  Sunday  school  worker  can  afford  to 
overlook  the  opportunities  of  character  development 
through  Christian  worship  both  in  his  own  life  and  in  the 
lives  of  his  pupils. 

2.  No  other  institution  in  the  community  is  in  position 
to  provide  opportunities  for  worship  at  such  frequent  and 
regular  intervals  as  the  Sunday  school.  This  is  especially 
true  of  the  small  Sunday  school.    It  meets  every  week, 

24 


THE  PLACE  OF  WORSHIP 


and  in  many  instances  there  are  no  other  religious  serv- 
ices in  the  community. 

While  men  may  find  abundant  opportunities  for 
private  worship  in  their  homes  and  places  of  business, 
there  is  need  for  young  and  old  to  come  together  at 
regular  intervals  in  group  worship.  It  is  not  only  the 
privilege  of  the  Sunday  school  in  the  open  country  and 
village  church  to  provide  this  opportunity,  but  in  so 
doing  it  may  train  the  people  in  worship  so  that  the 
effectiveness  of  their  private  devotions  will  be  greatly 
increased. 

Worship  and  the  Total  School  Program 

Worship  touches  and  influences  the  work  of  the  small 
Sunday  school  at  many  points.  In  fact,  the  total  school 
program  should  be  thought  of  as  a  unit  and  worship 
given  its  proper  place  in  relation  to  all  other  activities 
rather  than  thinking  of  it  as  something  to  be  brought  in 
from  the  outside. 

This  means  that  the  worship  service  at  the  opening  of 
the  school  should  be  planned  as  a  vital  part  of  the  vSun- 
day  session.  Teachers  and  pupils  should  be  led  to  regard 
it  as  much  a  part  of  the  work  of  the  Sunday  school  as  is 
the  class  session. 

1.  Worship  and  Study  Activities. — But  the  worship 
experience  is  not  limited  to  the  opening  service  of  the 
school.  Many  teachers  are  finding  that  brief  moments 
of  worship  at  the  beginning  or  at  intervals  during  the 
class  session  are  very  helpful.  It  is  needless  to  say  that 
this  worship  in  the  class  should  always  be  perfectly 
natural.    It  may  occur  in  connection  with  some  problem 

25 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


or  felt  need  in  the  work  of  the  class ;  but  whatever  hap- 
pens, it  should  never  be  forced. 

Instead  of  the  teacher  feeling  that  he  should  begin  or 
close  the  class  session  with  prayer,  he  and  the  pupils 
should  be  so  familiar  with  the  value  of  worship  in  meet- 
ing the  issues  and  solving  the  problems  of  the  class 
group  that  they  will  regard  a  moment  of  prayer  as 
a  priceless  privilege  rather  than  as  a  duty.  (See  Chapter 
XI  for  further  suggestions.) 

2.  Worship  and  Service  Activities. — More  and  more, 
Sunday  school  workers  are  learning  that  worth-while 
character  cannot  be  developed  simply  by  talking  to  boys 
and  girls  about  its  beautiful  qualities.  Life  cannot  be 
broken  up  into  parts  which  are  kept  separate  from  one 
another.  The  whole  boy,  not  just  parts  of  him,  goes  to 
Sunday  school,  plays  ball,  runs  errands — does  every- 
thing. 

The  Sunday  school,  therefore,  is  concerned  not  only 
with  what  happens  during  the  session  of  the  school  on 
Sunday  morning,  but  with  every  activity  in  which  its 
pupils  and  teachers  engage  during  the  other  one  hundred 
and  sixty-seven  hours  of  the  week. 

This  means  that  the  Sunday  school  either  as  a  unit  or 
through  class  groups  will  carry  on  a  great  many  enter- 
prises outside  the  regular  Sunday  session.  Some  of 
these  enterprises  may  take  the  form  of  a  study  of  other 
lands  and  people  and  be  closely  connected  with  the 
regular  class  work.  In  such  cases,  the  worship  service 
at  the  opening  of  the  school  may  be  planned  around  a 
theme  that  is  closely  connected  with  the  study  enter- 
prise. 

26 


THE  PLACE  OF  WORSHIP 


Another  type  of  activity  is  illustrated  in  the  experi- 
ence of  the  Adult  class  of  a  small  school  giving  a  day  to 
work  out  the  crop  of  a  sick  member.  After  the  work 
was  finished  the  group  visited  with  their  sick  friend  for  a 
few  moments  and  in  a  verse  of  a  song  and  a  brief  prayer 
expressed  their  gratitude  for  the  fellowship  of  the  day 
and  the  hope  that  he  might  soon  be  strong  and  well 
again. 

The  opportunities  for  moments  of  worship  in  con- 
nection with  the  acts  of  Christian  service  with  every  in- 
dividual and  group  in  the  school  should  make  a  part  of 
their  daily  life  are  without  number.  A  brief  moment  of 
prayer,  silent  or  spoken,  a  stanza  of  a  hymn,  a  kindly 
word,  the  pressure  of  a  friendly  handclasp — all  may  be  a 
means  of  real  worship  both  for  him  who  gives  and  for 
him  who  receives. 

5.  Worship  and  Play  Activities. — Worship  and  play 
are  very  closely  related.  In  fact,  the  right  kind  of  play 
tends  to  develop  the  same  high  and  noble  traits  of 
character  which  Christian  worship  nurtures. 

In  the  playing  of  games,  the  strongest  of  feelings  surge 
through  our  lives.  We  want  to  do  this  or  that  with  all 
our  might.  We  feel  intensely  toward  those  who  play 
with  us  and  against  us.  We  are  moved  by  motives  that 
are  low  and  mean,  or  that  are  high  and  noble.  Attitudes 
are  formed  toward  others  that  make  us  the  best  of 
Christians  or  the  meanest  of  sinners. 

Every  person,  young  and  old,  needs  to  engage  in  the 
kind  of  play  that  will  help  to  develop  the  right  sort  of 
feelings,   motives,   and   purposes.     Adults,   especially, 

27 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


need  to  learn  how  to  drop  the  toils  and  cares  of  daily 
life  and  give  themselves  to  refreshing  play. 

And  because  worship  and  play  are  so  closely  related 
it  should  not  be  thought  a  strange  thing  that  now  and 
then  some  manifestation  of  the  worship  spirit  should 
make  itself  felt  in  play.  More  than  once,  boys  have  ex- 
pressed a  feeling  of  need  for  divine  guidance  in  their 
athletic  contests.  Without  trying  to  force  the  outward 
forms  of  worship  into  the  playing  of  games,  the  spirit 
of  worship  should  be  given  full  opportunity  to  manifest 
itself  as  boys  and  girls,  men  and  women,  strive  in  hours 
of  play  and  recreation  to  organize  the  feelings,  purposes, 
and  ideals  of  their  lives  around  the  will  of  God. 

Relation  of  Worship  in  the  Sunday  School  to 
THE  Church  Service 

The  average  small  Sunday  school  has  preaching 
services  only  once  or  twice  a  month.  Therefore,  as  has 
already  been  pointed  out,  the  main  responsibility  for 
meeting  the  worship  needs  of  the  people  falls  upon  the 
Sunday  school.  While  this  responsibility  should  be  the 
first  consideration  of  the  leaders  of  the  small  school, 
yet  in  making  the  best  use  of  this  opportunity,  it  is  well 
for  the  school  to  remember  that  it  is  also  helping  to 
strengthen  and  enrich  the  worship  services  of  the 
regular  Church  hour.  In  fact,  the  Sunday  school  has  an 
obligation  to  plan  and  carry  out  its  worship  services 
so  as  to  add  to  the  effectiveness  of  the  worship  in  the 
Church  service. 

How  may  this  be  done? 

1.  By  providing  for  the  practice  of  worship.  We  learn 
-^  28 


THE  PLACE  OF  WORSHIP 


to  worship  by  worshiping.  Few  people  in  the  small 
Church  have  the  opportunity  of  worshiping  enough  to 
feel  at  home  in  the  experience.  Fortunate  is  the  pastor 
who  on  the  Sundays  that  he  is  privileged  to  lead  the 
entire  Church  in  worship  finds  a  congregation  already 
trained  in  the  spirit  and  habit  of  worship  through  their 
participation  in  the  Sunday  school. 

2.  By  providing  ways  of  learning  the  materials  of 
worship.  Familiarity  with  worship  materials  is  just  as 
necessary  to  the  ongoing  of  a  successful  worship  service 
as  familiarity  with  hoes  and  plows  is  necessary  to  raising 
a  crop  of  corn  or  cotton. 

One  reason  why  the  worship  services  in  the  small 
church  are  often  so  poor  and  meaningless  is  the  fact 
that  the  people  are  not  acquainted  with  the  hymns,  the 
prayers,  the  Scriptures,  and  other  materials  that  go  to 
make  a  worth-while  worship  service. 

The  Sunday  school  offers  a  real  opportunity  for  train- 
ing the  people  in  the  materials  of  worship.  People  like 
to  do  the  things  that  they  can  do  well.  It  is  a  wise 
pastor  who  plans  the  regular  services  of  the  Church  so  as 
to  use  the  prayers,  the  hymns,  the  Scripture,  and  the 
other  worship  materials  learned  in  the  Sunday  school. 

In  this  connection  it  should  be  pointed  out  that  there 
is  a  growing  tendency  on  the  part  of  pastors  and  Sunday 
school  workers  throughout  the  Church  to  think  of  the 
Sunday  morning  program  of  the  local  Church  in  terms  of 
one  unified  service  rather  than  in  terms  of  a  Sunday 
school  session  and  a  preaching  service. 

In  this  unified  program  there  is  only  one  worship  serv- 
ice in  which  the  entire  school  takes  part.    This  service 

29 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


serves  as  the  close  of  the  Sunday  school  or  teaching 
period  and  the  beginning  of  the  preaching  hour. 

The  success  of  this  plan  depends  upon  the  care  and 
skill  of  the  pastor  and  Sunday  school  workers  in  pre- 
paring for  the  service.  When  used  as  a  mechanical 
scheme  for  holding  the  Sunday  school  pupils  for  the 
eleven-o'clock  Church  service  it  is  a  failure.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  provides  a  means  through  which  the 
pastor  and  his  fellow  workers  in  the  Sunday  school  may 
combine  their  efforts  in  one  united  program  of  religious 
education  and  thereby  increase  the  effectiveness  of  the 
Church's  contribution  to  the  religious  training  of  the 
community. 

30 


CHAPTER  III 

MATERIALS  OF  WORSHIP— PRINCIPLES 
GOVERNING  SELECTION  AND  USE 

Men  and  women  who  are  responsible  for  the  public 
worship  services  in  the  Sunday  school  sometimes  feel 
that  worship  is  associated  so  intimately  with  the  pres- 
ence of  God  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  prepare  for  it. 
That  is,  since  God  is  at  the  very  center  of  the  worship 
service,  we  can  depend  upon  him  to  take  charge  and 
direct  its  every  part.  Some  persons  even  go  so  far  as  to 
say  that  the  advance  selection  of  hymns.  Scripture 
readings,  and  other  materials  used  in  the  worship  service 
is  an  expression  of  lack  of  faith  in  God.  To  them,  God 
is  a  sort  of  mighty  ruler  who  walks  into  the  midst  of  the 
group  assembled  for  worship  and  directs  their  activities 
for  his  own  pleasure.  That  is,  the  hymns  are  sung,  the 
prayers  are  said,  and  the  other  parts  of  the  service  are 
carried  out  solely  for  his  benefit. 

This  idea  of  the  purpose  of  worship  is,  of  course,  out 
of  harmony  with  the  character  of  the  God  that  Jesus 
came  into  the  world  to  reveal.  The  God  revealed  by 
Jesus  is  a  loving  heavenly  Father  who  is  deeply  con- 
cerned that  his  children  may  take  an  intelligent  as  well 
as  an  active  part  in  the  upbuilding  of  his  kingdom.  It 
is  not  enough  to  serve  God  in  a  careless  and  indifferent 
manner;  he  expects  us  to  share  intelligently  with  him  in 
planning  and  carrying  forward  the  work  of  his  kingdom. 

The  service  of  public  worship  offers  one  of  the  most 

31 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


direct  and  practical  means  that  the  Church  has  at  its 
command  for  helping  men  and  women,  boys  and  girls 
to  share  with  God  in  this  planning  and  carrying  forward 
of  his  kingdom  upon  earth.  To  neglect  the  use  of  the 
worship  service  for  this  high  purpose  is  to  cause  the 
Church  to  fail  at  the  point  where  no  other  organization 
or  institution  can  take  its  place.  To  enter  into  the 
worship  service  without  carefully  selecting  the  best 
available  materials  is  to  mark  those  who  are  responsible 
for  the  leadership  of  the  service  as  careless  and  indif- 
ferent to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  their  fellow  workers  and 
the  ongoing  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 

The  materials  of  worship — the  music,  the  prayers,  the 
Scripture  readings,  the  stories,  the  talks,  and  all  other 
materials  used  in  worship — serve  as  means  to  an  end. 
No  hymn,  prayer,  story,  or  any  other  material  should 
be  used  for  its  own  sake;  everything  that  is  included 
should  be  used  because  it  makes  a  definite  contribution 
to  the  spirit  and  purpose  of  that  particular  worship 
service. 

The  worship  service  in  the  Sunday  school  is  neither 
the  place  for  the  display  of  some  casual  visitor  in  the 
community  who  happens  to  be  able  to  sing  a  solo  or  give 
a  reading,  nor  the  time  to  call  upon  any  one  who  has  not 
been  notified  ahead  of  time  to  make  a  talk  or  offer  a 
prayer.  This  should  never  be  done,  no  matter  how 
distinguished  or  well  known  the  visitor  may  be.  To 
do  SO'  usually  embarrasses  the  visitor  and  detracts 
from  the  worship  value  of  the  service. 

32 


PRINCIPLES  GOVERNING  SELECTION  AND  USE 


Why  the  Selection  of  Worship  Materials  Seems 
Difficult 

The  careful  selection  of  all  the  materials  that  enter 
into  the  worship  service  is  not  so  difficult  as  it  seems  on 
first  thought.  The  feeling  of  most  Sunday  school 
workers  that  it  is  difficult  is  due  to  two  or  three  easily 
overcome  faults. 

1 .  The  leader  delays  the  selection  of  the  materials  for  the 
worship  service  which  he  is  to  lead  until  there  is  not 
enough  time  left  for  him  to  make  a  careful  selection.  He 
embarrasses  himself  and  destroys  the  spirit  of  reverence 
by  trying  to  find  appropriate  hymns  and  Scripture 
readings  after  the  service  has  begun.  In  his  haste  the 
leader  seldom,  if  ever,  selects  the  most  appropriate 
hymn  or  other  material  needed  at  a  particular  place  in 
the  worship  service. 

2.  Materials  are  selected  at  random  without  much 
thought  as  to  their  being  suitable  for  worship  purposes. 
Not  all  hymns,  for  example,  are  suitable  for  use  in  a 
worship  service.  A  talk  or  a  story  that  may  be  excellent 
material  for  use  in  the  class  sessions  may  be  everything 
else  but  the  kind  of  talk  or  story  that  will  help  people 
to  worship. 

3.  The  average  leader  of  worship  not  only  lacks  informa- 
tion about  the  kind  of  materials  that  are  most  suitable  for 
worship  purposes y  but  he  is  unfamiliar  with  the  best 
sources  of  these  materials.  The  call  that  perhaps  cornes 
most  often  to  Sunday  school  field  workers  is  for  help  in 
finding  suitable  worship  materials. 

These  difficulties  can  be  overcome  in  any  Sunday 

33 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


school.  The  selection  of  materials  in  advance  of  the 
worship  service  is  not  a  difficult  task.  All  that  is 
necessary  is  for  the  superintendent  and  his  fellow- 
workers  who  help  him  in  planning  the  worship  services 
to  make  up  their  minds  that  they  are  going  to  do  it.  An 
hour's  meeting  once  a  month  in  which  the  superin- 
tendent helps  those  who  are  to  lead  worship  services 
during  that  month  to  prepare  the  main  outline  of  their 
services  and  a  few  minutes  each  Sunday  to  complete  the 
details  for  the  following  Sunday's  program  will  accom- 
plish wonders  in  improving  the  worship  service  of  the  av- 
erage Sunday  school. 

The  more  serious  difficulty  of  getting  acquainted  with 
the  principles  underlying  the  selection  and  use  of  wor- 
ship materials,  as  well  as  learning  where  to  find  these 
materials,  can  be  overcome  by  reading  and  study.  To 
help  Sunday  school  workers  overcome  this  difficulty,  the 
remainder  of  this  chapter  is  devoted  to  a  discussion  of 
some  of  the  principles  underlying  the  selection  and  use 
of  materials,  while  Chapters  IV,  V,  and  VI  offer  a  great 
many  specific  suggestions  in  the  application  of  these 
principles. 

Guiding  Principles  in  Selecting  Worship 
Materials 

1.  Select  all  materials  which  are  to  he  used  in  a  given 
worship  service  as  far  ahead  of  time  as  possible.  Nothing 
adds  to  the  effectiveness  of  a  worship  service  quite  so 
much  as  the  evidence  from  the  very  beginning  that 
careful  preparation  has  been  made  for  it.  Every  time 
the  leader  betrays  his  lack  of  preparation  by  turning 

34 


PRINCIPLES  GOVERNING  SELECTION  AND  USE 

through  his  songbook  looking  for  the  next  hymn,  or 
walks  across  the  room  to  hand  somebody  a  leaflet  from 
which  to  read,  he  makes  it  just  that  much  more 
difficult  for  the  group  to  worship.  Quite  often  a  worship 
service  is  seriously  hindered  by  a  few  minutes'  delay  at 
the  beginning  while  the  leader  hustles  around  handing 
out  "parts"  and  finding  hymn  books.  Such  activity 
always  impresses  those  present  with  the  fact  that 
adequate  preparation  has  not  been  made  for  the  service 
and  thereby  hinders  their  whole-hearted  cooperation. 

2.  Select  all  materials  in  harmony  with  a  central 
thought,  or  theme.  The  first  step  in  the  planning  of 
worship  services  is  the  selection  of  a  theme  or  subject  for 
each  service.  This  should  be  done  by  the  superintendent 
and  his  fellow  workers  several  weeks  in  advance.  The 
selection  of  themes  in  advance  not  only  makes  possible 
the  planning  of  worship  services  that  are  constructive 
and  closely  related  to  one  another,  but  it  gives  time 
for  the  leaders  to  select  and  prepare  the  best  possible 
material. 

Once  a  theme  has  been  selected,  the  leader  should 
strive  to  select  all  his  materials  in  harmony  with  this 
theme.  The  music,  the  Scripture  readings,  the  talks, 
the  stories,  the  prayer,  and  all  other  materials  used  in 
the  service  should  be  selected  with  the  purpose  of 
helping  to  develop  the  central  thought  of  the  service. 
For  example,  suppose  that  the  theme  of  the  service  is 
"Reverence  for  God's  House";  the  materials  used 
should  either  directly  or  indirectly  express  the  attitude 
of  reverence.  There  would  be  no  place  in  a  service  of 
this  kind  for  har§h  and  extremely  loud  music  or  for  a 

35 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


talk  on  "The  Next  Sunday  School  Picnic."  It  would 
be  the  time,  however,  for  music  and  talks  and  prayers 
that  express  the  reverence  of  men's  hearts  for  the  house 
of  God. 

3.  Select  materials  within  the  range  of  the  understanding 
of  the  younger  age-groups  taking  part  in  the  service.  The 
Sunday  school  meeting  in  a  one-room  church  faces  the 
problem  of  having  all  age-groups  in  one  worship  service. 
This  situation  adds  to  the  difficulty  of  selecting  worship 
materials.  For  example,  a  great  many  hymns  suitable 
for  adult  worship  services  are  beyond  the  ability  of  small 
children  to  sing  and  understand.  Again,  young  children 
have  not  had  the  experiences  that  would  enable  them 
to  understand  many  of  the  prayers  which  we  use  in 
services  for  adults. 

We  face  a  practical  difficulty  here.  What  is  the  best 
thing  to  do? 

Of  course,  the  best  thing  to  do  is  to  provide  additional 
rooms  so  that  the  younger  groups  can  have  worship 
services  wholly  suited  to  their  needs.  But  that  is 
impractical,  or  even  impossible,  in  many  places  where 
the  Sunday  school  membership  is  small  and  its  resources 
are  limited. 

The  next  best  thing  to  do  is  to  plan  the  worship 
service  so  that  all,  even  the  younger  children,  will  have  a 
part  in  it  and  be  helped  by  it. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  part  of  planning  a  service 
that  will  be  helpful  to  all  is  the  selection  of  suitable 
songs.  Scripture  readings,  talks,  stories,  prayers,  and 
other  worship  materials.  Here,  as  elsewhere  in  the 
work  of  the  small  school,  a  little  study  and  planning  will 

36 


PRINCIPLES  GOVERNING  SELECTION  AND  USE 

go  a  long  way  toward  making  the  best  out  of  the  ma- 
terials that  are  at  hand.  Put  the  emphasis  upon 
selecting  materials  that  the  younger  boys  and  girls  will 
understand.  Use  the  stories  from  the  Bible  that  boys 
and  girls  love  and  understand.  Never  buy  a  hymn 
book  without  a  goodly  number  of  worth-while  songs  for 
children.  Plan  talks  and  select  stories  that  deal  with 
the  experiences  in  home  and  community  life  that  boys 
and  girls  are  familiar  with.  Do  these  things,  and  you 
will  be  surprised  at  the  increased  helpfulness  of  the 
worship  services  for  both  children  and  adults. 

Principles  Governing  the  Use  of  Worship 
Materials 

1 .  Use  only  such  materials  as  make  a  positive  contribu- 
tion to  the  worship  service.  Worship  services  are  fre- 
quently ruined  by  dragging  in  a  "special  number"  of 
some  sort  that  has  no  positive  contribution  whatever 
to  make  to  the  spirit  or  purpose  of  the  service.  A  good 
question  to  ask  in  judging  all  worship  material  is,  "In 
what  way  will  this  song,  or  talk,  or  prayer,  or  whatever 
material  is  before  us,  help  in  creating  a  spirit  of  worship 
and  in  developing  the  theme  of  the  service?"  If  it  does 
not  tend  to  do  both  of  these  things,  it  should  be  omitted. 

It  is  this  principle  that  rules  out  the  making  of  an- 
nouncements during  the  worship  service.  They  neither 
add  to  the  spirit  of  worship  nor  help  to  develop  the 
theme  of  the  service.  In  almost  all  instances  they 
detract  from  the  service  by  directing  the  attention  of 
the  people  to  something  else. 

All  necessary  announcements  should  be  made  either 

37 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


in  the  classes  or  during  a  period  set  aside  from  the 
worship  hour  for  miscellaneous  business. 

2.  Use  the  materials  that  the  school  as  a  whole  is  ac^ 
quainted  with.  The  attempted  use  of  songs,  Scripture 
readings,  and  other  materials  with  which  the  people 
are  not  acquainted,  turns  the  attention  of  the  wor- 
shipers from  the  experience  of  worship  to  the  fact  that 
they  are  unfamiliar  with  the  materials  being  used. 
Just  as  a  housewife  does  not  become  a  good  cook 
until  she  is  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  materials 
which  she  must  use  in  the  preparation  of  a  meal,  so 
the  worshiper  does  not  worship  in  the  fullest  sense 
until  he  has  become  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  ma- 
terials of  worship. 

The  worship  service  is  not  the  proper  time  for  the 
school  to  learn  new  materials.  For  the  leader  to  stop 
in  the  midst  of  the  singing  of  a  hymn  to  say,  "Now,  we 
don't  know  this  song  very  well;  let's  sing  that  first 
stanza  over  again,"  is  to  kill  whatever  spirit  of  worship 
may  be  present.  In  the  event  that  an  unfamiliar  hymn 
is  selected,  a  change  should  be  made,  with  as  little 
confusion  as  possible,  to  one  that  is  familiar.^ 

3.  Use  the  same  worship  materials  in  a  variety  of  ways. 
The  logical  development  of  the  worship  experience 
makes  necessary  the  use  of  certain  kinds  of  materials  at 
different  stages  in  the  worship  services.  It  is  the 
violation  of  this  principle  that  causes  such  disastrous 
results  to  follow  the  efforts  of  some  leaders  to  secure 
"variety"  in  their  services.     In  an  effort  to  increase 

^Chapter  IX  deals  with  this  important  problem  of  training  the 
members  of  the  Sunday  school  in  the  basic  materials  of  worship. 

38 


PRINCIPLES  GOVERNING  SELECTION  AND  USE 

interest  in  the  worship  service  they  try  to  "pep"  it  up 
in  all  sorts  of  ways.  Noisy  songs  are  sung  with  the 
emphasis  upon  the  noise.  Spectacular  "stunts"  are 
indulged  in  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  worshipers. 
Of  course,  their  attention  is  attracted  to  something 
else;  but  the  worship  service  suffers  as  a  result. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  possible  to  have  wholesome 
variety  without  detracting  from  the  spirit  or  purpose 
of  the  service.  The  playing  of  the  music  of  a  hymn,  for 
example,  while  the  group  follows  the  words  silently  is  an 
effective  contrast  to  the  usual  method  of  singing  the 
stanzas.  It  is  particularly  effective  with  hymns  of 
prayer  and  meditation. 

The  variety  of  ways  in  which  the  Scriptures  may  be 
used  effectively  is  almost  without  number.  The  usual 
plan  of  reading  the  Scriptures  responsively  is  not  very 
effective  at  best  because  most  persons  watch  the  verses 
ahead  to  be  sure  that  they  can  pronounce  all  the  hard 
words  and  thereby  lose  the  thought  of  the  passage  com- 
pletely. A  better  method  is  to  have  the  entire  group 
read  all  the  selection  together  and  in  unison. 

Still  another  effective  method  of  using  the  Scriptures 
in  the  worship  service  is  to  have  some  one  repeat  the 
substance  of  the  selection  in  his  own  words.  This 
places  the  emphasis  upon  getting  the  meaning  of  the 
passage  into  our  own  thoughts  and  words  and  is  a  help 
to  a  great  many  people. 

Where  to  Find  Worship  Materials 

Most  of  us  think  of  the  Bible  and  the  hymn  book  as 
being  the  major  sources  of  worship  materials.  And  they 

39 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


are  our  best  and  richest  sources  of  supply.  But  they 
are  not  the  only  sources  by  any  means. 

The  whole  realm  of  music  is  at  our  command:  not 
only  songs  and  hymns,  but  instrumental  music  as  well. 
Everybody  loves  and  responds  to  music.  The  Church 
has  a  wonderful  opportunity  through  its  worship 
services  of  creating  a  love  for  and  understanding  of  the 
best  in  music. 

Books  are  another  rich  field  of  worship  materials. 
Biographies  of  the  heroic  men  and  women  who  have 
given  their  lives  in  the  service  of  righteous  causes 
provide  rich  resources  for  stories  and  talks  in  the 
worship  services.  Books  of  poems  offer  the  leader  of 
worship  the  opportunity  to  find  a  stanza  or  a  longer 
selection  that  will  enrich  the  service  wonderfully. 

Magazines  and  even  the  newspapers  will  yield  bounti- 
ful results  to  the  person  who  makes  it  a  habit  to  watch 
for  helpful  suggestions.  Leaders  of  worship  will  also 
find  the  International  Journal  of  Religious  Education^ 
and  their  denominational  magazines  rich  in  helpful 
worship  materials. 3 

There  is  one  source  of  supply  that  most  of  us  overlook. 
The  world  of  nature  is  rich  in  worship  materials. 
And  here  the  country  church  is  abundantly  richer  than 
its  city  neighbor.     Quite  often,  the  country  church  is 

^  The  address  of  the  International  Journal  of  Religious  Educa- 
tion is  5  South  Wabash  Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

^Workers  in  Sunday  schools  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  will  find  the  Workers*  Council  and  the  Ele- 
mentary  Teacher  especially  helpful.  Order  from  Lamar  and 
Whitmore,  810  Broadway,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

40 


PRINCIPLES  GOVERNING  SELECTION  AND  USE 

located  in  a  grove  of  trees,  and  with  a  little  planning  in 
cleaning  up  the  grounds  and  planting  flowers  it  may  be 
greatly  improved  as  a  place  of  worship. 

A  grove  of  trees  was  doubtless  man's  first  temple  of 
worship;  in  the  country  church  it  would  be  entirely 
feasible  for  the  Sunday  school  membership  to  meet 
occasionally  in  some  near-by  grove  or  upon  some  con- 
venient hilltop  and  hold  their  worship  services  there. 
Services  at  sunrise  or  early  twilight  are  especially 
effective. 

The  hymn  book,  the  Bible,  books  and  magazines, 
music,  the  world  of  nature,  and  life  all  about  us  are  all 
rich  with  materials  that  will  help  Sunday  schools  and 
Churches  to  worship  effectively.  They  are  there  for 
him  who  hath  eyes  to  see.  In  the  language  of  Jesus, 
''Blessed  are  your  eyes,  for  they  see."    (Matt.  13:  16.) 

41 


CHAPTER  IV 

MATERIALS  OF  WORSHIP— PRAYER 
The  Meaning  of  Prayer 

What  are  we  doing  when  we  pray? 

Most  of  us  would  answer  this  question  by  saying 
that  prayer  is  asking  God  for  something.  And  to  many 
people,  prayer  is  just  that  and  nothing  more.  To  them 
it  is  a  sort  of  glorified  begging  contest  in  which  they 
persist  in  asking  God  for  the  things  which  they  want 
until  he  yields  to  their  requests  very  much  as  a  tired 
human  father  responds  to  the  pleadings  of  a  spoiled 
child. 

All  of  us,  when  we  stop  to  think  about  it,  know  that 
real  Christian  prayer  is  something  far  more  meaningful 
than  pestering  God  until  he  changes  his  mind  and  comes 
around  to  grant  our  wishes.  We  know  that  real  prayer 
is  the  very  heart  of  the  worship  experience,  and  without 
it  the  worship  service  is  just  about  as  cold  and  lifeless 
as  a  human  body  without  a  beating,  throbbing  heart. 

As  Sunday  school  workers  we  not  only  want  to  know 
the  meaning  of  real  prayer  from  first-hand  experience, 
but  we  want  to  help  our  pupils  and  our  fellow  workers 
in  the  Church  to  share  in  its  blessings.  May  each  of  us, 
therefore,  ask  himself  the  very  personal  question, 
"What  does  prayer  mean  to  me?" 

A  group  of  Sunday  school  workers  was  discussing  this 
question  one  day  when  one  of  the  number  described 
prayer  as  "opening  the  life  to  God  and  keeping  it 

42 


PRAYER 


Open."  She  had  been  reading  a  little  book  by  Mabel  N. 
Thurston  called  "The  Adventure  of  Prayer,"  and  to 
help  the  other  members  of  the  group  to  understand  the 
full  meaning  of  her  statement  she  read  the  following 
paragraph  from  this  book; 

"  None  of  us  could  be  well  very  long  in  a  house  whose 
doors  and  windows  were  kept  tightly  closed  so  that  no 
fresh  air  could  enter  in;  whose  shades  were  all  kept 
down  so  that  no  light  could  reach  us.  Our  bodies  are 
made  so  that  they  need  both  fresh  air  and  sunlight  in 
order  to  keep  healthy.  Now,  suppose  you  were  shut  up 
in  a  tightly  closed  house  like  that  and  felt  yourself 
getting  sick.  You  realized  that  you  were  growing 
weaker  and  weaker,  so  you  prayed  to  God  to  make  you 
well.  Would  God  'answer'  that  prayer?  Certainly  not 
by  any  miracle.  But  he  would  be  trying  to  answer  it  all 
the  time  in  another  way.  Every  minute  of  the  day  the 
fresh  air  would  be  trying  to  get  into  your  house — 
creeping  through  every  tiniest  crack  and  crevice;  every 
hour  of  sunshine  the  health-giving  light  would  be 
shining  against  your  windows.  You  could  pray  forever 
and  get  no  'answer'  until  you  opened  your  doors  and 
windows  and  let  the  light  and  air  in.  As  soon  as  you  did 
that  your  health  would  begin  to  come  back  to  you. 
God  never  does  anything  for  us  that  we  can  do  for 
ourselves.  He  will  furnish  the  air  and  the  sunshine 
which  no  power  of  man  can  make,  but  we  must  open  our 
own  windows  J' "^ 

Is  not  that  a  good  picture  of  what  real  prayer  is? 

^  From  "The  Adventure  of  Prayer,"  by  Mabel  N.  Thurston. 
Copyright  by  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company.    Used  by  permission. 

43 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


Not  only  opening  doors  and  windows  so  that  fresh  air 
and  sunlight  can  enter  in,  but  opening  every  avenue  of 
one's  life  to  the  presence  and  power  of  God.  There  is  a 
famous  painting  by  one  of  the  old  masters  illustrating 
the  passage  of  Scripture,  "Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door 
and  knock."  In  this  picture  the  door  has  no  outside 
knob  or  latch  by  which  it  may  be  opened.  //  can  be 
opened  only  from  the  inside.  Jesus  does  not  force  himself 
into  the  heart  and  life  of  any  man ;  he  patiently  awaits 
the  time  when  we  willingly  open  the  door  unto  him. 

Another  very  intimate  and  meaningful  way  to  de- 
scribe real  prayer  is  found  in  the  writings  of  one  of  the 
early  Church  fathers,  Clement  of  Alexandria.  As  he 
phrased  it,  prayer  is  "conversation  with  God." 

Prayer  is  the  most  intimate  and  personal  of  all 
religious  acts.  Just  as  we  open  the  door  of  our  homes 
and  cordially  welcome  our  dearest  earthly  friend  to 
share  the  best  of  all  that  we  have,  so  do  we  open  the  door 
of  our  lives  in  prayer  to  the  presence  of  God  our  heav- 
enly Father  and  dearest  Friend.  And  just  as  we  would 
sit  down  with  this  earthly  friend  to  talk  over  the  most 
intimate  and  personal  matters,  so  in  prayer  we  talk 
with  God  about  any  and  all  of  our  problems,  our 
sorrows,  and  our  joys. 

Does  prayer  include  asking  God  for  things?  Cer- 
tainly, but  not  in  the  sense  of  begging  him  into  doing 
something  that  is  not  good  for  us  or  his  kingdom.  In 
real  prayer  one  asks  God  for  things  in  the  same  way 
that  he  asks  a  very  dear  friend — that  is,  one  never 
asks  his  dearest  friend  to  do  things  he  can  do  for  him- 
self, and  one  never  asks  for  selfish  gifts.     Remove 

44 


PRAYER 


these  selfish  petitions  from  our  prayers  and  some  of  us 
would  have  very  little  left.  But  it  is  just  there  that  we 
need  to  change  our  prayers. 

Does  God  always  answer  prayer?  He  does,  provided 
the  person  praying  is  trying  earnestly  to  find  God  and 
to  do  his  will.  There  is  never  a  real  prayer,  no  matter 
how  poor  or  ignorant,  that  God  does  not  answer.  The 
answer  may  not  be  "yes,"  and  it  may  sometimes  be 
"no."  It  may  be  in  some  other  way  from  that  which 
we  were  expecting,  but  the  supreme  truth  of  all  prayer 
is  that  God  really  answers. 

How  can  God  hear  and  answer  so  many  prayers  at 
one  and  the  same  time?  Our  trouble  here  is  in  thinking 
of  God  in  the  same  terms  as  we  think  of  men.  A  man 
can  attend  to  only  one  thing  at  a  time,  because  his 
capacities  and  abilities  are  limited;  but  God,  who  is 
unlimited  in  capacity  and  ability,  can  look  after  any 
number  of  things.  We  have  radios  in  our  homes 
operated  by  distant  broadcasting  stations.  Our  set 
may  be  the  only  one  operated  by  the  energy  sent  out 
from  the  particular  station  to  which  we  are  tuned,  but 
in  all  probability  there  are  thousands  of  other  sets 
being  operated  by  this  same  station  and  at  the  same 
time  with  our  set.  And  as  others  are  tuned  in  they,  too, 
are  operated  just  as  efficiently  as  ours.  If  this  im- 
personal force  radiated  from  the  broadcasting  station 
can  thus  successfully  operate  thousands  of  radio  sets 
located  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  is  there  any  need  for 
us  to  doubt  that  God,  who  is  not  only  a  mighty  Force, 
but  a  Person,  can  hear  and  answer  the  prayers  of  all  his 
children? 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


Since  God  knows  what  is  best  for  us,  what  need  is 
there  for  prayer  anyhow?  Would  you  accept  a  gift  of  a 
million  dollars  without  thanking  the  giver?  You 
would  be  a  very  ungrateful  person,  if  you  did.  Then, 
why  accept  all  the  gifts  that  come  from  God  without 
pausing  now  and  then  to  thank  him?  It  just  would  not 
be  fair,  would  it? 

But  thanking  God  for  his  blessings  is  not  the  main 
reason  for  prayer.  The  basis  for  that  reason  we  have 
tried  to  point  out  in  describing  what  prayer  really  is. 
The  real  reason  for  praying  is  that  we  may  know  better 
how  to  live.  Of  all  persons  who  have  lived  upon  this 
earth,  Jesus  knew  more  about  how  to  live  than  any  one 
else.  Outstanding  among  all  the  methods  which  he 
used  to  attain  this  end  was  that  of  prayer.  He  spent 
more  time  in  prayer  than  any  other  man  of  whom  we 
have  the  record.  Surely,  if  he  found  in  prayer  the 
means  for  understanding  the  meaning  of  life  and  doing 
his  work  more  effectively,  his  followers  will  at  least  give 
a  little  time  to  the  practice  that  he  found  so  helpful. 

It  is  true  that  we  can  never  explain  all  the  mysteries 
connected  with  the  prayer  life.  At  least,  we  cannot  in 
this  world.  But  the  way  to  learn  more  about  anything 
is  to  use  what  knowledge  we  now  have.  The  way  to 
know  the  power  of  prayer  is  to  begin  now  to  use  the 
resources  that  we  have.  No  truer  statement  is  found 
in  the  Scriptures  than  the  passage,  "Unto  everyone 
which  hath  shall  be  given."  The  intelligent  use  of  what 
we  have  is  the  surest  road  to  the  possession  of  greater 
power, 

46 


PRAYER 


The  Use  of  Prayer  in  the  Worship  Service 

The  personal  and  intimate  nature  of  prayer  makes  it 
a  very  important  element  in  the  public  worship  service. 
There  are  two  places  particularly  in  the  service  where 
prayer  aids  in  the  development  of  the  worship  ex- 
perience as  nothing  else  can. 

The  first  of  these  occurs  early  in  the  service  and  has 
the  twofold  purpose  of  providing  an  opportunity  for 
every  person  present  to  take  part  in  the  service  and  of 
helping  the  group  to  realize  that  they  are  in  the  actual 
presence  of  God. 

The  second  place  of  importance  for  the  use  of  public 
prayer  in  the  worship  service  is  near,  or  at,  the  close. 
The  complete  development  of  the  worship  experience 
demands  that  there  shall  be  opportunity  for  the  wor- 
shipers to  commit  themselves  to  a  worth-while  cause. 
This  opportunity  should  always  be  very  near  the  end 
of  the  service.  There  is  no  better  way  of  providing  for 
it  than  through  a  Jew  moments  of  silent  meditation 
with  a  brief  and  definite  prayer  of  consecration  at  the 
close  in  which  the  leader  commits  the  group  to  the 
task  of  making  the  attitudes  and  the  ideals  that  have 
been  formed  during  the  service  carry  over  into  everyday 
life. 

Various  types  of  prayers  may  be  used  in  the  public 
worship  service.  One  good  plan  is  to  use  a  group  prayer 
in  the  early  part  of  the  service.  That  is,  this  prayer 
should  be  one  that  every  one  knows  and  in  which  the 
group  may  join  with  the  leader.     The  Lord's  Prayer 

47 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


when  prayed  in  unison  is  an  example  of  this  type  of 
prayer. 

In  addition  to  the  Lord's  Prayer,  every  Sunday 
school  should  memorize  a  number  of  unison  prayers 
suitable  for  use  on  different  occasions.  A  few  prayers 
suitable  for  use  in  this  way  are  included  in  the  Appendix. 
Others  may  be  found  in  any  good  book  of  prayers. 
From  time  to  time  it  will  be  wise  to  encourage  various 
groups  in  the  school,  especially  the  young  people,  to 
prepare  prayers  that  may  be  used  in  the  worship 
services.  Prayers  that  are  prepared  in  this  way  and 
used  reverently  are  just  as  much  an  expression  of  God's 
will  for  his  people  as  any  volunteer  prayer  delivered 
without  time  for  careful  preparation.  In  fact,  we  need 
to  encourage  our  young  people  to  give  serious  thought 
and  time  to  the  careful  preparation  of  the  prayers 
through  which  they  undertake  to  lead  the  Sunday  school 
in  conversation  with  God. 

Characteristics  of  Prayers  that  Are  Most  Help- 
ful IN  THE  Worship  Service 

1.  Public  prayer  should  he  brief  and  to  the  point.  Long 
and  rambling  prayers  in  which  the  leader  prays  about 
everything  under  the  sun  have  no  place  in  public 
worship  services.  This  is  particularly  true  where  there 
are  restless  boys  and  girls  and  little  children  present. 
Public  prayer  should  never  be  used  as  a  means  of 
advising  God  about  the  affairs  of  men.  Neither  should 
it  be  used  to  say  things  about  our  neighbors  that  we 
would  not  dare  say  to  their  faces. 

The  public  prayer  provides  an  opportunity  for  leading 

48 


PRAYER 

the  group  into  the  presence  of  God.  The  leader  has  the 
privilege  of  acting  as  the  spokesman  of  the  group  in  their 
conversation  with  God,  and  he  should  value  this  privilege 
so  highly  that  he  will  not  only  be  brief,  but  endeavor  to 
center  every  word  of  the  prayer  directly  around  the 
theme  of  the  worship  service.  Whenever  the  leader  of 
worship  calls  upon  another  person  to  lead  a  prayer  he 
should  always  inform  that  person  well  in  advance  in 
order  that  he  may  have  sufficient  time  to  prepare  for 
leading  a  prayer  in  harmony  with  the  theme  of  the 
service. 

2.  Public  prayer  should  he  simple  in  language.  The 
person  who  leads  a  public  prayer  should  always  remem- 
ber that  he  is  leading  the  entire  group  and  that  simple 
language  is  best  understood  by  all.  The  use  of  long 
words  and  stilted  sentences  tends  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  the  worshipers  from  the  real  meaning  and  pur- 
pose of  the  prayer  and  should  be  avoided. 

Short,  simple  sentences  with  words  that  are  easily 
understood  by  all  are  always  best  in  public  prayer. 

3.  Public  prayer  should  be  true  to  the  needs  of  life.  It 
may  seem  unnecessary  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that 
prayers  should  express  the  needs  of  the  persons  actually 
present  in  the  service,  but  a  few  moments  spent  in 
listening  to  public  prayers  will  reveal  the  fact  that  the 
vast  majority  of  them  fail  at  this  point.  A  public 
prayer  is  supposed  to  lead  the  men  and  women  and 
the  boys  and  girls  actually  present  into  a  closer  fellow- 
ship with  God,  and  should  not  be  given  over  to  efforts 
to  please  some  imaginary  group  of  persons  with  nice- 
sounding  compliments.     The  leader  should,  therefore, 

49 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


formulate  his  prayer  in  terms  of  the  interests  and  the 
needs  of  those  who  are  present. 

4.  Public  prayer  should  be  addressed  to  God,  the  Father. 
Jesus  gave  us  the  supreme  example  of  how  to  begin  our 
prayers  when  he  taught  us  to  say,  "Our  Father."  Not 
only  in  the  beginning  of  the  public  prayer,  but  whenever 
it  is  necessary  throughout  the  prayer  to  address  Deity, 
it  should  be  done  in  terms  of  God,  the  heavenly  Father. 

While  public  prayers  should  be  conversational  in 
tone,  the  pronoun  "You"  should  not  be  used  in  talking 
to  God.  The  pronoun  "Thou"  should  always  be  used. 
Too  frequent  references  to  God  in  praying  are  in  bad 
taste  and  tend  to  destroy  the  effectiveness  of  the 
prayer.  The  frequent  use  of  such  expressions  as 
"Glory,"  "Hallelujah,"  "  For  Jesus'  sake,"  and  "Amen" 
tends  to  destroy  the  spirit  and  meaning  of  the  public 
prayer.  Certainly,  prayers  should  be  sincerely  fervent, 
but  the  real  spirit  of  prayer  is  expressed  best  by  the  tone 
and  attitude  of  one's  prayer  rather  than  by  the  use  of 
mere  words. 

5.  Public  prayer  should  express  reverence^  praise ^ 
loyalty,  and  obedience  rather  than  fear  and  doubt.  Prayers 
in  the  worship  service  are  not  the  place  for  expressing 
one's  doubts  and  fears.  Any  lack  of  confidence  on  the 
part  of  the  leader  in  the  power  and  willingness  of  God 
to  bless  his  children  is  sure  to  convey  itself  to  the  other 
worshipers  and  draw  a  veil  between  them  and  the 
presence  of  God.  The  supreme  qualification  of  the 
leader  of  public  prayer  is  an  unquestioning  confidence 
in  the  power  and  presence  of  God. 

This  leadership  should   express  itself  in   terms  of 

50 


PRAYER 


love,  reverence,  praise,  loyalty,  and  obedience  to  the 
will  of  God.  Jesus  taught  us  this  lesson  when  under  the 
very  shadow  of  the  cross  he  prayed  ''Thy  will,  not 
mine,  be  done."  It  is  in  love  that  God  answers  prayer, 
and  we  may  be  sure  that  he  gives  his  love,  although  he 
may  be  unable  to  grant  the  thing  for  which  we  pray. 

Then,  if  we  would  know  the  meaning  of  real  fellowship 
with  God,  we  must  approach  him  in  perfect  confidence 
and  trust.  To  seek  his  presence  in  a  half-hearted  way 
is  to  make  it  impossible  for  him  to  bless  us.  If  we 
would  know  the  blessing  of  real  fellowship  with  God, 
we  must  take  the  confident  and  trustful  attitude  of  the 
writer  of  the  following  lines : 

"Shall  we  not  open  the  human  heart, 
Spread  its  doors  until  the  hinges  start? 
Stop  our  worrying,  doubt,  and  din, 
Hunting  heaven  and  dodging  sin? 
There  is  no  need  to  look  so  wide : 
Open  the  door  and  stand  aside — 
And  God  comes  in!"^ 

Helping  Sunday  School  Pupils  to  Learn  the 
Real  Meaning  of  Christian  Prayer 

In  the  first  place,  there  is  not  much  value  in  talking 
about  prayer,  or  in  telling  people  that  they  ought  to 
pray.  Jesus  did  not  tell  his  disciples  that  they  ought 
to  pray;  he  simply  practiced  praying  until  they  began 
to  see  that  there  was  something  wonderfully  helpful  in 
it. 

^Author  unknown.  Quoted  in  "The  Adventure  of  Prayer," 
by  Mabel  N.  Thurston.  Copyright  by  Fleming  H.  Revell 
Company. 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


The  best  way,  therefore,  to  teach  others  to  know 
the  real  meaning  of  prayer  is  to  help  them  to  practice 
the  experience  of  prayer.  This  means  that  we  must 
include  all  members  of  our  family,  our  class,  or  our 
Sunday  school  in  the  actual  experience  of  prayer. 

How  can  this  be  done? 

First,  we  can  include  in  the  prayer  experience  the 
members  of  the  group  that  we  are  trying  to  teach  to 
pray  by  inviting  them  to  name  the  things  for  which 
they  would  like  the  leader  to  pray.  All  sorts  of  things 
may  be  suggested,  especially  by  younger  groups;  but 
that  is  perfectly  all  right.  These  suggestions  will  help 
the  leader  to  pray  in  terms  of  the  actual  needs  and 
experiences  of  the  group  and  will  help  to  get  our  prayers 
out  of  the  usual  ruts. 

In  one  Sunday  school,  a  boy  asked  the  superintendent 
to  pray  for  his  dog  which  had  been  run  over  by  an 
automobile  and  seriously  injured.  Did  the  superin- 
tendent ignore  this  request  as  being  unworthy?  He 
most  certainly  did  not!  In  a  simple  and  earnest  manner 
he  thanked  God  for  the  fine  comradeship  that  existed 
between  the  boy  and  his  dog  and  prayed  that  the  boy 
might  do  everything  possible  to  relieve  the  dog's 
suffering  and  that  everybody  might  learn  to  love  and 
appreciate  the  fine  qualities  of  good  dogs. 

In  another  school,  a  man  asked  that  the  leader 
pray  for  rain  to  save  his  crops.  Here  again,  the  leader 
prayed,  not  for  the  direct  blessing,  but  for  skill  on  the 
part  of  the  farmer  to  meet  the  actual  conditions  of  life 
and  maintain  the  right  attitude  toward  them  and  their 
Maker  no  matter  what  might  happen. 

52 


PRAYER 


Second,  one  of  the  best  ways  to  learn  to  pray  is  to 
pray.  Anything  that  we  can  do  to  encourage  people  to 
lead  a  group  in  prayer  is  usually  helpful.  Some  people 
are  so  shy  and  backward  about  speaking  in  a  public 
place  that  the  leadership  of  public  prayer  is  very 
difficult  for  them.  We  should  never  make  the  mistake 
of  suggesting  that  their  inability  to  pray  in  public  is 
due  to  their  lack  of  prayer  in  private.  Rather,  we 
should  give  ourselves  to  helping  them  find  the  joy  and 
blessing  of  the  prayer  experience  so  that  their  em- 
barrassment in  leading  public  prayer  may  disappear. 

To  help  timid  persons  gain  confidence  in  themselves 
it  is  sometimes  wise  to  ask  them  to  read  a  prayer  that 
has  been  prepared  by  some  other  person  or  taken  from 
a  book  of  prayers.  Or,  the  person  himself  may  be 
encouraged  to  write  out  a  prayer  and  read  it  rather 
than  try  to  pray  impromptu.  In  this  connection,  many 
Sunday  school  teachers  have  found  it  helpful  to  ask 
their  pupils  to  join  in  the  preparation  of  a  prayer  for  a 
certain  occasion.  The  experience  gained  in  formulating 
the  prayer  is  in  reality  a  very  vital  experience  in  prayer. 

Third,  we  may  help  others  to  enter  into  the  meaning 
of  prayer  through  the  use  of  memorized  prayers.  While 
it  is  true  that  memorized  prayers  when  used  over  and 
over  again  tend  to  become  mechanical  and  meaningless, 
yet  they  do  have  a  real  value  in  worship  by  helping  us 
to  say  the  things  that  we  want  to  say  in  a  dignified  and 
reverent  way. 

Prayers  of  this  kind  are  especially  valuable  for  use  in 
the  early  part  of  the  worship  service  when  there  is 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


need  for  the  entire  group  to  join  in  some  act  that 
recognizes  the  presence  of  God  in  the  service. 

Another  type  of  unison  prayer  that  may  profita- 
bly be  used  by  even  the  smallest  Sunday  school  is 
the  prayer  sentence  set  to  music,  "The  Lord  Bless 
You  and  Keep  You,"^  and  "We  Give  Thee  but  Thine 
Own"^  are  familiar  examples.  These  responses  are 
especially  helpful  in  connection  with  the  offering  and  as 
a  response  following  the  prayer  of  the  leader  of  worship. 

^  No.  748,  in  the  Methodist  Hymnal. 
4  No.  688,  in  the  Methodist  Hymnal. 

54 


CHAPTER  V 
MATERIALS  OF  WORSHIP— MUSIC 

Music  is  called  the  universal  language.  It  breaks 
across  the  barriers  of  race  and  color  and  gives  expression 
to  the  deepest  feelings  of  mankind. 

A  story  of  pioneer  days  illustrates  the  universality  of 
the  language  that  music  speaks.  A  little  band  of 
white  men  were  making  camp  after  a  hard  day's 
journey.  Scarcely  had  the  camp  fires  been  lighted 
when  a  party  of  fiercely  painted  Indians  filed  from  a 
near-by  ravine  and  prepared  to  make  camp  a  short 
distance  away.  Grimly,  the  white  men  prepared  to 
defend  themselves  against  the  expected  attack.  Wagons 
were  drawn  up  in  a  circle,  fires  were  extinguished,  and 
weapons  made  ready  for  instant  use. 

But  the  Indians  seemed  in  no  hurry  to  attack.  Their 
camp  fires  blazed  merrily.  The  evening  meal  was  pre- 
pared and  eaten.  Then  the  white  men  heard  them 
singing.  Guns  were  gripped  more  tightly;  surely, 
thought  the  travelers,  this  is  the  beginning  of  the 
attack.  The  singing  grew  louder  and  louder.  Still 
there  was  no  sign  of  an  attack. 

Suddenly,  there  came  a  strangely  familiar  note  in  the 
savage  music.  The  men  who  a  moment  before  were 
prepared  to  sell  their  lives  as  dearly  as  possible  sat  up 
to  listen  the  more  intently.  Then,  with  a  smile  on  their 
faces,  they  laid  aside  their  weapons  and  reached  for  their 
blankets.     The  Indians  were  singing  **In  the  Sweet 

55 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


By  and  By."  Some  wandering  missionary  had  taught 
these  savages  this  great  old  hymn  of  love  and  peace; 
and  while  the  white  travelers  could  not  understand  a 
word  of  the  Indian's  language,  they  could  and  did 
understand  the  language  of  the  music  with  its  message 
of  peace  and  safety. 

Music  as  an  Aid  to  Worship 

Music  is  one  of  the  most  effective  aids  to  worship.  In 
fact,  public  worship  is  almost  impossible  without  its 
help. 

1.  What  Music  Does  to  People, — The  importance  of 
music  in  the  worship  service  is  due  to  its  wonderful 
power  over  the  thoughts  and  actions  of  men. 

Every  one  has  observed  the  tendency  of  certain  kinds 
of  music  to  encourage  people  to  be  noisy  and  demon- 
strative. A  brass  band  swings  along  the  street  playing  a 
crashing  march,  and  it  makes  us  want  to  throw  our 
hats  into  the  air  and  cheer  with  all  our  might.  A  certain 
soldier  who  was  in  France  during  the  World  War  has  in 
his  home  a  phonograph  record  of  one  of  the  favor- 
ite selections  that  the  band  played  during  their 
long  marches.  When  this  soldier  is  tired  from  a  hard 
day's  work  he  plays  this  record.  In  his  words,  "It 
makes  me  forget  my  tired  feet  and  body  and  makes  me 
want  to  go  on  and  do  another  day's  work." 

The  hearts  of  young  and  old  are  stirred  with  the 
beautiful  strains  of  the  "Bridal  Chorus  "  from  Lohengrin. 
Why?  Simply  because  it  brings  into  our  minds  all  the 
memories  that  we  have  of  fine  and  happy  married  life. 
The  very  notes  of  the  music  are  full  of  bright  promise 

56 


MUSIC 


for  the  years  ahead.  Our  hearts  increase  their  beat 
and  our  blood  flows  faster  until  in  our  imagination  we 
are  marching  with  the  bride  and  groom  and  plighting 
our  troth  word  for  word  with  them. 

Every  one  is  familiar  with  still  another  type  of  music. 
It  is  the  kind  of  music  that  soothes  and  calms  troubled 
hearts.  Shakespeare  had  it  in  mind  when  he  wrote 
that  oft-quoted  line,  "Music  hath  charms  to  soothe  the 
savage  breast."  The  mother  knows  its  power  when  she 
quiets  a  fretful  child  by  singing  softly  a  beautiful 
lullaby. 

There  are  two  reasons  for  this  wonderful  power  of 
music  over  the  thoughts  and  actions  of  men. 

First,  the  sound  waves  that  make  up  the  musical 
notes  strike  through  our  ears  upon  sensitive  nerves. 
High  pitches  and  clashing  notes  tend  to  irritate  them 
and  make  us  restless.  Notes  that  are  low  and  soft 
have  the  opposite  effect  and  tend  to  quiet  our  tired  and 
jumpy  nerves.  The  regular  beat  of  a  military  march, 
for  example,  tends  to  stimulate  the  nerve  centers  that 
control  the  action  of  the  heart  and  by  actual  test  makes 
it  beat  faster. 

The  second  reason  for  the  power  of  music  over  the 
lives  of  men  is  due  to  what  we  sometimes  call  the  "law 
of  association."  This  simply  means  that  whenever  we 
repeat  an  experience  we  tend  to  remember  and  repeat 
other  experiences  that  were  associated  with  the  original 
experience.  It  is  this  law  that  explains  the  fact  that 
persons  who  are  converted  while  a  hymn  is  being 
sung  usually  count  that  same  hymn  as  their  favorite 
during  the  rest  of  their  lives.    Every  time  they  hear  the 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


hymn  sung  or  take  part  in  the  singing  of  it  the  entire 
conversion  experience  is  lifted  up  into  the  center  of 
their  consciousness  through  its  association  with  the 
hymn,  and  in  a  very  real  sense  they  live  it  over  again. 

Almost  every  one  has  had  helpful  experiences  in 
connection  with  certain  hymns  or  selections  of  music. 
The  law  of  association  makes  it  possible  for  us  to 
renew  these  experiences  and  enrich  them  with  other 
and  even  more  helpful  ones. 

The  worship  service  uses  this  law  in  helping  people  to 
relive  the  best  experiences  of  other  days  and  in  providing 
the  worshiper  with  new  experiences  of  a  rich  and  helpful 
nature  that  in  turn  may  serve  to  enrich  other  worship 
experiences  in  the  future. 

2.  Types  of  Music  Suitable  for  Use  in  the  Worship 
Service. — From  the  foregoing  discussion  it  will  be  seen 
that  not  all  types  of  music  are  suitable  for  use  in  the 
worship  service.  In  the  main,  music  that  tends  to 
suggest  the  same  attitudes  and  motives  that  are  being 
developed  by  the  other  elements  of  the  service  should  be 
selected.  A  service  that  is  planned  primarily  for  the 
purpose  of  creating  and  developing  the  attitude  of 
reverence  will  call  for  music  of  a  quiet  and  reverent 
nature.  The  attitude  of  courage  will  demand  music 
that  in  itself  expresses  a  positive  determination  to 
move  forward  no  matter  what  obstacles  may  stand  in 
the  way. 

Quite  frequently,  a  group  may  wish  to  worship  in- 
formally as  a  means  of  thinking  through  some  problem 
with  which  it  is  confronted.  In  instances  of  this  kind 
music  of  a  quiet  and  reverent  nature  may  prove  a 

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positive  help  as  a  background  of  group  thinking.  Sun- 
day school  classes  of  young  people  particularly  that 
have  the  opportunity  of  meeting  in  a  room  apart  from 
the  remainder  of  the  school  may  well  afford  to  try  the 
experiment  of  pausing  in  the  midst  of  a  discussion  for  a 
few  moments  of  worship,  with  a  background  of  quiet 
music  played  by  one  of  their  own  number  or  upon  a 
phonograph.  Experiments  of  this  kind  indicate  that 
such  a  situation  provides  an  excellent  means  of  bringing 
the  best  of  our  resources  both  human  and  divine  to 
bear  upon  the  problems  of  life. 

For  this  purpose,  the  music  of  such  hymns  as  "Holy, 
Holy,  Holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,"  "Lord,  Speak  to 
Me  That  I  May  Speak,"  and  "O  Master,  Let  Me  Walk 
with  Thee"  may  be  used.  If  the  phonograph  is  used, 
such  instrumental  selections  as  Handel's  "Largo"  and 
''Pastoral  Symphony"  will  be  found  helpful. 

3.  Tests  of  Good  Hymns. — Not  all  hymns  that  har- 
monize with  the  theme  or  central  thought  of  the  worship 
service  should  be  used.  There  are  at  least  three  addi- 
tional tests  that  should  be  used  by  the  leader  of  worship 
in  selecting  hymns. 

First,  "Can  the  persons  who  are  to  sing  this  hymn 
mean  what  the  words  say?"  A  child  cannot  sing 
sincerely  hymns  that  carry  such  expressions  as  "sink- 
ing deep  in  sin,"  "deeply  stained  within,"  and  "there's 
power  in  the  blood." 

Again,  the  younger  members  of  the  group  do  not  have 
the  background  of  training  and  experience  that  would 
enable  them  to  understand  such  hymns  as  "There  Is  a 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


Fountain   Filled  with  Blood";  therefore  its  use  in  a 
worship  service  for  them  would  not  be  advisable. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  hymns  that  all  members 
of  the  group  can  understand  and  indorse  with  all  their 
hearts.  The  first  stanza  of  "I  Would  Be  True"  is  an 
example.    1 1  begins : 

I  would  be  true,  for  there  are  those  who  trust  me; 
I  would  be  pure,  for  there  are  those  who  care. 

The  second  test  is,  "Are  the  words  and  music  really 
good,  and  are  they  suited  to  each  other?"  In  the 
application  of  this  test  it  will  prove  helpful  if  the 
leader  will  read  the  stanzas  over  several  times  with 
such  questions  as  the  following  in  mind:  "Is  this  worth 
while?"  "Will  it  help  those  who  sing  to  live  better 
lives?"  "Is  the  music  ragtime?" 

In  the  general  worship  service  of  the  Sunday  school,  it 
will  be  well  to  remember  that  the  older  boys  and  girls  do 
not  like  to  be  called  upon  to  sing  "baby"  songs.  It 
would  not  be  wise,  therefore,  to  use  such  songs  as 
"Little  Feet,  Be  Careful"  in  a  worship  service  for  the 
entire  school. 

A  third  test  is,  "Can  the  members  of  the  group  sing 
'this  music  without  strain ? ' '    This  means  that  extremely 
high  or  low  tones  should  be  avoided. 

The  wise  leader  will  also  avoid  those  songs  in  which 
emphasis  is  placed  upon  "part"  singing — that  is,  songs 
in  which  various  voices  alternate  in  carrying  the  leading 
part. 

The  Leader  of  Music  and  the  Pianist 

The  leader  of  music  and  the  pianist  in  the  small 

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Sunday  school  make  or  break  the  worship  services. 
Incompetent  leadership  in  either  of  these  positions 
means  poor  and  ineffective  worship  services.  With  con- 
secrated and  intelligent  leadership  here  many  of  the 
problems  of  worship  in  the  small  school  will  disappear. 

1.  Personal  Qualifications. — Three  outstanding  per- 
sonal qualifications  are  necessary  for  success  in  either  of 
these  positions. 

First,  the  leader  of  music  and  the  pianist  should  be 
devout  Christians.  No  person  can  effectively  lead 
others  into  the  experience  of  Christian  worship  through 
music  without  having  first-hand  knowledge  of  the 
realities  of  that  experience  himself.  In  the  small 
community  everybody  knows  every  one  else,  and  the 
habits  of  our  daily  lives  rise  up  on  Sunday  morning  to 
condemn  or  commend  us.  No  person  should  be  asked 
to  serve  in  either  of  these  important  positions  about 
whose  character  there  is  the  slightest  question. 

Second,  the  leader  of  music  and  the  pianist  should 
have  a  practical  working  knowledge  of  worship  music. 
Ability  to  sing  and  play  is  taken  for  granted,  but  the 
emphasis  here  is  placed  upon  the  need  for  familiarity 
with  the  music  which  is  suitable  for  use  in  worship 
services 

Unfortunately,  the  musical  education  of  many  young 
women  does  not  include  a  study  of  religious  music. 
Many  otherwise  competent  pianists  are  utterly  ignorant 
of  the  hymns  of  the  Church. 

As  a  usual  thing  the  persons  who  are  willing  to  under- 
take the  leadership  of  music  in  the  Sunday  school  have 
had  some  training  in  a  certain  type  of  gospel  singing. 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


Too  often,  however,  they  too  lack  a  practical  knowledge 
of  the  great  worship  hymns  of  the  Church.  It  is  there- 
fore not  only  difficult,  but  practically  impossible,  for 
them  to  lead  the  school  into  an  appreciation  and  under- 
standing of  these  hymns.  One  of  the  tragedies  of  the 
small  Sunday  school  is  the  failure  of  its  musical  leader- 
ship to  lead  the  school  into  the  rich  experience  of  singing 
the  worship  hymns  of  the  Church. 

Next  to  actual  knowledge  of  these  hymns  is  the 
willingness  to  learn  to  sing  them.  Certainly,  no  one 
should  serve  in  a  place  of  leadership  in  the  small  school 
who  is  unwilling  to  learn  to  sing  the  truly  great  worship 
hymns  of  the  Church.  Such  a  willingness  is  necessary 
if  we  are  to  have  effective  worship  services  in  the 
Sunday  school. 

Third,  the  leader  of  music  and  the  pianist  should  have 
the  ability  and  the  willingness  to  work  with  others 
without  friction.  These  two  persons  are  in  every 
worship  service,  and  they  must  be  able  to  work  smoothly 
with  the  leader  of  the  worship  service  and  the  persons 
that  have  a  part  on  the  program.  In  addition,  their 
attitude  toward  the  entire  school  must  be  so  patient 
and  helpful  that  it  will  inspire  every  pupil  to  do  his 
best  toward  making  the  service  a  success.  The  worship 
service  is  no  place  for  the  leader  or  the  pianist  to  "put 
on  airs"  or  to  show  personal  preference  for  one  mem- 
ber of  the  school  over  another. 

No  more  difficult  positions  exist  in  the  Sunday  school 
than  those  of  leader  of  music  and  pianist.  Combining, 
as  they  do,  the  need  for  technical  skill  in  music  and  the 
need  for  a  friendly  attitude  of  cooperation  with  one's 

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fellow  workers,  these  positions  should  command  the 
very  best  talent  available. 

On  the  other  hand,  these  positions  offer  the  oppor- 
tunity for  a  service  to  the  country  community  and 
Church  that  is  immeasurable.  To  teach  the  people  of  a 
community  to  love  and  sing  the  great  hymns  of  the 
ages  is  a  privilege  few  of  us  can  hope  to  have.  If  God 
has  blessed  us  with  musical  ability,  we  should  count  it  a 
high  privilege  to  share  in  this  holy  calling. 

2.  Relation  of  the  Leader  of  Music  to  the  Leader  of  the 
Worship  Service, — This  relationship  should  always  be 
that  of  friendly  cooperation.  The  leader  of  the  worship 
service  is  primarily  responsible  for  the  entire  service. 
He  and  the  leader  of  music  should  plan  the  music  of  the 
service  together.  The  experience  of  the  leader  of 
music  should  prove  of  great  value  to  the  leader  of 
worship  as  they  select  the  hymns  and  other  musical 
material  for  use  in  the  service,  but  never  should  the 
leader  of  music  be  given  the  responsibility  of  selecting 
the  music  for  the  service  without  consultation  with  the 
leader  of  worship.  To  do  so  is  to  make  it  certain  that 
the  music  will  not  harmonize  with  the  other  elements  of 
the  service.  No  good  leader  of  music  will  accept  such  a 
responsibility. 

The  leader  of  music  should  be  on  the  worship  com- 
mittee and  meet  with  it  in  its  regular  monthly  meetings. 
In  this  way  he  will  have  the  opportunity  of  sharing  in 
the  making  of  the  general  worship  plans  for  the  school 
and  thereby  be  in  position  to  cooperate  intelligently 
with  the  leaders  of  worship  from  Sunday  to  Sunday. 

3.  The  Leader  of  Music  and  the  Worship  Service. — His 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


part  should  be  just  as  inconspicuous  as  possible.  The 
worship  service  is  not  the  time  or  the  place  for  the 
leader  of  music  or  any  one  else  to  "show  off.**  Any- 
thing that  the  leader  of  music  does  that  attracts  atten- 
tion to  himself  detracts  from  the  effectiveness  of  the 
worship  just  that  much.  To  scold  the  people  for  not 
singing,  to  call  their  attention  to  mistakes  in  the  music, 
to  make  exaggerated  motions  of  one's  arms  or  baton — 
in  short,  to  do  anything  that  attracts  attention  from 
the  worship  itself — is  to  prove  one's  self  an  incompetent 
leader  of  music  in  worship  services. 

The  leader  of  music  should  lead  the  school  in  the 
singing  of  the  worship  hymns  in  as  quiet  and  dignified 
a  manner  as  possible.  His  manner  and  voice  should 
be  positive  and  certain,  but  never  extremely  loud  or 
boisterous.  He  is  a  leader  because  he  is  presumed  to 
know  the  way  the  school  should  go  and  lead  it  therein. 

Getting  the  People  to  Sing 

Getting  all  the  people  to  sing  is  no  easy  task.  Some 
people  seem  to  take  pleasure  in  resisting  all  efforts  to 
enlist  them  in  any  group  task.  They  either  work  alone, 
or  they  don't  work  at  all.  But  the  vast  majority  of 
people  love  to  sing  and  will  sing  if  given  half  a  chance. 
The  worship  services  are  so  dependent  upon  good  sing- 
ing that  we  may  well  afford  to  give  a  large  amount  of 
time  and  effort  to  solving  this  problem. 

1.  The  leader  of  music  will  need  to  observe  some  ''donHs,** 
If  the  problem  of  getting  the  people  to  sing  is  solved  in  a 
constructive  way,   it   is   necessary   for   the   leader   of 

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MUSIC 


music  to  refrain  from  doing  certain  things  that  are  more 
or  less  common  in  Sunday  school  worship  services. 

First,  don't  scold  the  school  for  not  singing.  Few  of 
us  like  to  have  our  failures  held  up  for  public  inspection. 
People  simply  do  not  respond  to  public  scoldings,  and 
wise  leaders  of  music  will  never  resort  to  this  practice. 

Second,  don't  tell  people  that  it  is  their  duty  to  sing. 
Duty  is  about  the  least  effective  of  all  good  motives. 
The  leader  may  drive  a  few  people  to  take  part  in  the 
singing  by  appealing  to  their  sense  of  duty,  but  down 
deep  in  their  hearts  they  will  resent  it.  Their  co- 
operation will  not  be  whole-hearted  and,  if  possible, 
they  will  dodge  the  service  at  every  opportunity.  If  the 
leader  cannot  get  people  to  want  to  sing,  there  isn't 
much  chance  of  success  in  trying  to  make  them  sing. 

Third,  don't  resort  to  cheap  tricks  in  order  to  get  the 
people  to  sing.  The  plan  of  having  one  group  compete 
with  another  in  order  to  see  which  can  make 
more  noise  may  be  permissible  in  "community  sings," 
but  it  is  entirely  out  of  place  in  a  worship  service.  The 
singing  of  one  stanza  by  the  men  and  another  by  the 
women  is  also  of  doubtful  value  in  the  worship  service 
unless  the  selection  is  arranged  for  antiphonal  singing. 

The  practice  of  employing  unusual  arrangements  of 
tunes  and  words  and  of  singing  the  words  of  worship 
hymns  to  secular  tunes  is  never  helpful  in  creating  and 
developing  the  spirit  of  worship.  Schemes  of  this  sort 
may  be  interesting  and  entertaining  at  other  times,  but 
their  use  in  worship  services  tends  to  attract  atten- 
tion away  from  the  real  purpose  of  the  service  and  center 
it  upon  something  that  is  more  or  less  artificial. 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


Fourth,  dofiH  try  to  teach  the  people  to  sing  during  a 
worship  service.  The  worship  service  is  not  the  place 
for  giving  music  lessons.  The  people  may  need  to 
learn  to  sing,  but  arrangements  should  be  made  for 
teaching  them  outside  the  worship  service. 

2.  Is  a  choir  needed  to  lead  the  worship  service  in  the 
Sunday  school?  This  question  cannot  be  answered  with 
an  absolute  yes  or  no.  Sometimes  a  choir  is  a  help,  and 
sometimes  it  is  a  very  decided  hindrance  in  the  worship 
service. 

Hundreds  of  small  Sunday  schools  discourage  the 
majority  of  their  pupils  from  taking  part  in  the  singing 
by  inviting  all  the  good  singers  to  sit  on  the  platform 
near  the  piano  and  use  the  dozen  or  so  books  that  are 
available.  The  school  comes  to  regard  the  choir  as 
singing  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  sit  out  in  front  and 
feel  no  need  of  singing  themselves.  Such  an  arrange- 
ment as  this  makes  effective  worship  by  the  entire 
group  practically  impossible. 

Many  leaders  of  music  are  finding  through  actual 
experience  that  in  the  small  school  it  is  better  to  en- 
courage every  one  to  remain  in  his  place  out  in  the 
auditorium  instead  of  inviting  "all  those  who  will  help 
in  the  singing**  to  come  forward  and  take  seats  upon  the 
platform  or  over  in  one  corner.  This  practice  tends  to 
encourage  the  entire  group  to  sing  and  to  take  part 
in  the  other  phases  of  the  worship  service. 

3.  How  can  the  school  he  trained  to  take  part  in  the 
singing?  Getting  people  to  sing  is  largely  a  matter  of 
teaching  them  to  sing.  We  like  to  do  the  things  that 
we  do  well.    It  is  the  boy  who  knows  how  to  play  base- 

66 


MUSIC 


ball  that  is  always  wanting  to  get  into  a  game.  Teach 
the  members  of  the  Sunday  school  to  sing  the  hymns 
that  are  used  in  the  worship  services,  and  there  will  be 
little  or  no  difficulty  in  getting  them  to  sing  whenever  it 
is  desired. 

This  is  not  so  difficult  as  it  may  appear.  The  prin- 
cipal requirement  is  a  leader  who  is  willing  to  take  the 
time  and  expend  the  energy  necessary  to  teach  the 
people  to  sing  suitable  worship  hymns.  The  following 
suggestions  will  indicate  some  of  the  methods  that 
different  small  Sunday  schools  have  used  in  their  efforts 
to  solve  this  problem. 

First,  the  entire  school  remained  at  the  church  for  an 
hour  after  Sunday  school  practicing  the  hymns  that 
were  to  be  used  in  the  worship  service  the  following 
Sunday.  This  plan  was  feasible  because  the  church  had 
preaching  services  only  one  Sunday  out  of  each  month. 
In  fact,  this  study  and  practice  of  hymns  could  easily 
be  made  a  regular  service  of  the  church  on  the  Sundays 
when  the  pastor  cannot  be  present  for  preaching 
services. 

Second,  another  small  Sunday  school  conducted  a 
*' singing  school"  in  which,  instead  of  the  usual  song- 
book  employed  in  these  schools,  the  church  hymnal 
was  used. 

Third,  in  hundreds  of  small  schools  throughout  the 
Church  the  teachers  of  the  younger  age  groups  are 
teaching  their  pupils  to  sing  some  of  the  hymns  that 
are  used  in  the  worship  services  of  the  school  and 
church.  By  singing  softly  these  groups  may  use  these 
hymns  in  their  own  worship  during  the  class  sessions. 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


Workers  in  the  small  Sunday  school  will  find  the 
following  books  valuable  in  creating  and  developing  an 
appreciation  of  worship  music : 

"Studies  of  Familiar  Hymns,"  by  Louis  F.  Benson. 
Price,  $2.  This  book  contains  a  great  deal  of  interesting 
information  about  twenty-four  familiar  hymns  with 
suggestions  for  study  by  class  groups. 

"One  Hundred  and  One  Hymn  Stories,"  by  Carl  F. 
Price,  and  "More  Hymn  Stories"  by  the  same  author 
are  also  very  good.    Price  75  cents  each. 

Still  another  helpful  book  is  "Hymn  Stories,"  by 
Elizabeth  Colson.  This  volume  contains  twelve 
worship  services,  each  of  which  is  built  around  a  familiar 
hymn.  These  services  might  well  be  made  the  basis 
of  an  entire  year's  study  of  hymns  in  the  Sunday 
school. 

The  phonograph  has  been  successfully  used  by  Sun- 
day schools  both  as  a  "leader"  of  hymns  in  the  worship 
service  and  as  a  "teacher"  of  good  music  in  the  various 
class  groups.  If  a  phonograph  is  available  for  the  use 
of  the  school,  the  worship  committee  should  secure 
catalogues  of  records  from  their  nearest  music  dealer 
and  begin  to  build  up  a  library  of  religious  hymns  and 
instrumental  music. 

Another  method  of  stimulating  interest  in  music  for 
the  worship  services  is  through  the  use  of  "special 
numbers."  In  almost  every  community  there  are 
people  of  splendid  musical  talent  who  can  render  a 
helpful  service  in  this  way.  There  is  need,  however, 
in  this  connection  for  extreme  caution  lest  the  worship 
service  be  used  as  a  place  for  the  display  of  fancied 

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ability  to  sing  difficult  numbers.  No  one  should  ever 
be  asked  simply  to  "sing  something"  for  the  worship 
service.  The  request  should  always  be  for  a  definite 
selection  which  has  been  carefully  selected  for  its  con- 
tribution to  the  worship  service. 

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CHAPTER  VI 

OTHER  MATERIALS  OF  WORSHIP 

The  Use  of  Scripture  in  Worship 

In  thinking  of  worship  materials  we  naturally  turn  to 
the  Bible.  Here  we  find  a  rich  source  of  help  and  in- 
spiration. But  in  turning  to  the  Bible  for  worship 
materials  we  must  take  the  time  and  pains  to  select  only 
those  parts  of  it  which  are  really  suited  to  worship. 
Certain  sections  of  the  Bible  describe  Hebrew  religion 
and  civilization  at  their  lowest  and  if  used  in  our  wor- 
ship services  to-day  would  give  a  conception  of  God 
that  is  entirely  out  of  harmony  with  the  New  Testament 
picture  of  the  heavenly  Father. 

Take  the  eighty-third  and  the  one  hundred  and  ninth 
Psalms  as  illustrations.  In  them  the  psalmist  prays  God 
to  punish  his  own  personal  enemies  in  the  most  cruel  and 
inhuman  manner  imaginable.  To  use  such  passages  as 
these  in  worship  would  destroy  the  very  spirit  and  pur- 
pose of  the  service  and  in  addition  would  give  the 
worshipers  an  unchristian  conception  of  prayer  and  its 
place  in  the  Christian  life. 

The  Scripture  passages  in  a  worship  service  may  serve 
either  of  two  purposes. 

First,  they  may  be  used  merely  to  form  a  point  of 

/contact  with  the  worshiper.    We  have  been  accustomed 

to  using  Scripture  in  devotional  services  for  so  long  that 

the  mere  mention  of  a  passage  tends  to  turn  the  thoughts 

of  the  worshiper  toward  God.    For  this  purpose  we  have 

70 


OTHER  MATERIALS  OF  WORSHIP 


what  are  known  as  "Calls  to  Worship";  short  and 
usually  familiar  passages  of  Scripture  which  are  used  at 
the  very  beginning  of  the  worship  period  to  call  the, 
attention  of  the  worshipers  to  the  spirit  and  purpose  of 
the  service.  A  familiar  illustration  of  this  use  of  Scrip- 
ture is  the  passage  from  Habakkuk  (2:  20): 

The  Lord  is  in  his  holy  temple; 

Let  all  the  earth  keep  silence  before  him. 

Second,  the  Scripture  lesson  may  provide  material  for 
interpreting  the  theme  of  the  service.  When  used  for 
this  purpose  the  Scripture  passage  is  usually  several 
verses  In  length.  Its  content  may  vary  from  a  story  to  a 
discussion  of  some  life  problem.  In  every  case  it  should 
be  easily  understood  by  the  group.  Insincerity  In  the 
religious  life  may  be  definitely  encouraged  by  the  use  of 
Scripture  materials  that  have  little  or  no  meaning  for 
the  worshipers. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  have  a  formal  Scripture  reading 
in  every  worship  service.  Quite  frequently  the  use  of  a 
short  passage  as  a  *'CalI  to  Worship"  Is  all  that  is 
needed.  Never  drag  a  Scripture  lesson  into  the  worship 
service  simply  because  it  has  been  the  custom  to  ^'read 
the  Bible"  In  all  Church  services.  If  a  Scripture  passage 
serves  the  purpose  of  the  service  better  than  any  other 
materials  available,  use  it.  Otherwise,  use  something 
else. 

1.  Methods  of  Reading  Scripture  in  Worship  Services. — 
The  usual  method  of  reading  Scripture  in  worship 
services  Is  that  of  leader  and  people  taking  turn  about. 

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Another  method  is  that  of  unison  reading.     That  is, 
leader  and  people  read  all  the  verses  together. 

The  habit  of  reading  all  Scripture  responsively  should 
be  discouraged.  In  fact,  it  should  never  be  done  except 
when  the  group  is  familiar  with  the  passage  and  the  pas- 
sage itself  is  so  divided  into  verses  as  to  make  responsive 
reading  easy  to  understand.  The  twenty-fourth  Psalm 
is  an  excellent  illustration  of  the  Scripture  that  lends 
itself  to  reading  responsively.  It  was  written  for  use  in 
the  worship  services  of  the  temple  and  was  read  or  sung 
responsively.  Note  how  naturally  and  easily  the  second 
verse  follows  as  a  response  to  the  first. 

Leader:  "The  earth  Is  the  Lord's,  and  the  fullness  thereof;  the 
world  and  they  that  dwell  therein." 

Response:  "For  he  hath  founded  it  upon  the  seas,  and  estab- 
lished it  upon  the  floods." 

The  third  verse  contains  two  questions  which  are 
answered  by  the  response  in  the  fourth  verse: 

Leader:  "Who  shall  ascend  into  the  hill  of  the  Lord?  or  who 
shall  stand  in  his  holy  place?" 

Response:  "He  that  hath  clean  hands,  and  a  pure  heart;  who 
hath  not  lifted  up  his  soul  unto  vanity,  nor  sworn  deceitfully." 

The  wise  leader  of  worship  will  always  read  the 
Scripture  lesson  over  very  carefully  and  decide  ahead  of 
time  just  what  method  of  reading  will  add  most  to  its 
effectiveness.  Quite  often  the  reading  of  the  Scripture 
lesson  by  an  individual  proves  more  effective  than  either 
a  responsive  or  unison  reading.  Again,  the  simple  tell- 
ing of  the  Scripture  story  in  one's  own  words  may  prove 
very  effective,  especially  when  familiar  passages  are 
used. 

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2.  Selecting  Scripture  for  the  Different  Age  Groups. — 
The  leader  of  worship  in  the  one-room  Sunday  school  is 
constantly  faced  with  the  problem  of  selecting  Scripture 
that  is  worshipful  in  spirit  and  at  the  same  time  within 
the  range  of  the  understanding  of  the  younger  pupils. 
The  practice  of  using  the  Uniform  Lesson  selection  of 
Scripture  is  not  always  a  good  one.  This  passage  is 
almost  always  selected  for  adults.  Again,  it  is  not 
always  appropriate  to  the  theme  of  the  worship  service. 

In  a  school  where  all  age  groups  must  worship  to- 
gether the  leader  of  worship  should  always  keep  the 
needs  of  the  younger  boys  and  girls  in  mind  and  as  far  as 
possible  select  Scripture  passages  that  are  within  the 
range  of  their  understanding.  One  good  reason  for  do- 
ing this  is  the  fact  that  the  adults  will  also  be  more  likely 
to  understand  it.  The  most  important  reason  is,  of 
course,  that  of  helping  the  boys  and  girls  to  so  under- 
stand and  love  the  Bible  that  its  truth  may  prove  a 
blessing  to  them  and  to  others. 

This  means  that  the  stories  of  the  Bible  will  prove  our 
richest  source  of  Scriptural  materials — stories  in  which 
living  men  and  women,  boys  and  girls  have  a  part. 
From  creation  in  the  early  chapters  of  Genesis  through 
the  record  of  the  struggles  and  triumphs  of  the  early 
Christians  In  the  New  Testament  the  Bible  is  full  of 
potentially  useful  stories. 

Story  Material  in  Worship 

Everybody  likes  a  good  story.  How  often  we  forget 
the  text  and  the  main  points  in  the  minister's  sermon, 
but  remember  his  illustrations!    A  well-told  story  de- 

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scribes  ideals  or  great  truths  so  concretely  that  we  can 
see  them  walking  around  as  living  men  and  women, 
boys  and  girls.  What  does  it  mean  to  be  brave?  Or 
loyal?  How  would  you  tell  another  person  how  to  be 
brave?  How  would  you  help  him  to  be  loyal  to  some 
great  cause?  The  most  natural  and  effective  way  is  to 
tell  a  story  of  some  person  who  acted  bravely  in  time  of 
great  danger,  or  who  in  the  face  of  great  difficulties 
proved  himself  a  loyal  friend. 

1.  Selecting  Stories  for  Use  in  Worship. — Too  many 
persons  think  that  just  any  kind  of  story  will  do  in  a 
worship  service.  While  it  is  true  that  no  hard  and  fast 
rules  can  be  laid  down  for  deciding  whether  or  not  a 
story  is  suitable  for  use  in  a  given  worship  service, 
certain  very  definite  principles  will  help  the  leader  of 
worship  in  selecting  the  best. 

(1)  The  worship  story  must  have  real  meaning  for  the 
worshipers.  That  is,  the  story  itself  must  do  something 
more  than  just  entertain  the  group.  It  must  help  the 
worshipers  understand  more  clearly  and  feel  more  keenly 
the  spirit  and  purpose  of  the  particular  worship  service 
in  which  it  is  used. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  "jokes"  and  stories  that 
hold  up  individuals  and  groups  of  persons  to  be  laughed 
at  should  never  be  used  in  the  worship  service. 

This  principle  of  selecting  stories  that  have  real 
meaning  for  the  worshipers  also  means  that  the  story 
must  be  in  terms  of  events  and  experiences  that  are 
reasonably  familiar  to  the  worshiper.  Descriptions  of 
strange  and  unfamiliar  experiences  in  worship  stories 

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direct  the  attention  away  from  the  real  meaning  of  the 
story  and  thereby  destroy  much  of  its  worship  value. 
In  this  connection,  it  should  be  pointed  out  that  it  is 
unwise  and  unnecessary  to  "add  a  moral  application" 
to  worship  stories.  To  do  so  is  as  much  a  confession  of 
failure  in  telling  the  story  as  to  add  an  explanation  to  a 
joke. 

(2)  The  worship  story  must  be  brief  and  full  of  action. 
The  stories  of  Jesus  are  fine  examples.  Take  the  story 
of  the  rich  man  in  Luke  12:  16-20,  for  example: 

''And  he  spake  a  parable  unto  them,  saying,  The 
ground  of  a  certain  rich  man  brought  forth  plentifully: 
and  he  reasoned  within  himself,  saying,  What  shall  I  do, 
because  I  have  not  where  to  bestow  my  fruits?  And  he 
said,  This  will  I  do:  I  will  pull  down  my  barns,  and  build 
greater;  and  there  will  I  bestow  all  my  grain  and  my 
goods.  And  I  will  say  to  my  soul.  Soul,  thou  hast  much 
goods  laid  up  for  many  years ;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink, 
be  merry.  But  God  said  unto  him,  Thou  foolish  one, 
this  night  is  thy  soul  required  of  thee;  and  the  things 
which  thou  hast  prepared,  whose  shall  they  be?" 

(3)  The  worship  story  must  tell  only  one  story.  That 
is,  it  must  have  what  is  sometimes  called  unity.  The 
inexperienced  story-teller  tends  to  include  unnecessary 
details  and  incidents.  Study  the  story  of  the  rich  man 
quoted  above.  Every  word  contributes  to  the  meaning 
of  the  story. 

2.  Helps  for  the  Story-Teller. — The  best  way  to  learn  to 
tell  stories  is  to  tell  them.  Read  the  story  over  a  number 
of  times  in  order  to  fix  the  main  events  firmly  in  mind 
and  then  tell  it  in  your  own  words.     Never  try  to 

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memorize  the  exact  words  of  the  author  unless  it  is  an 
especially  meaningful  sentence  here  and  there. 

Give  careful  attention  to  the  beginning  and  the  end  of 
the  story.  Seek  to  begin  in  such  a  way  as  to  capture  the 
attention  of  all  with  the  first  sentence.  Hold  back  the 
climax  of  the  story  until  near  the  end.  Stop  talking 
when  the  end  of  the  story  is  reached.  It  is  better  to 
stop  a  minute  too  soon  than  to  add  one  unnecessary 
word. 

"Where  can  I  find  good  stories?"  The  answer  is, 
"Everywhere" — in  books,  magazines,  newspapers,  in  the 
lives  of  one's  friends,  in  our  own  daily  experiences.  The 
principles  discussed  above  will  help  in  selecting  the  kind 
of  story  that  is  suitable  for  use  in  worship. 

The  following  books  will  provide  the  teacher  and 
worship  leader  with  an  abundance  of  story  materials. 
Every  school,  no  matter  how  small,  should  buy  one  or 
two  of  these  books  every  year. 

(1)  Books  that  will  help  one  to  learn  to  tell  stories 
more  effectively:^ 

"Stories  and  Story  Telling,"  by  Edward  Porter  St. 
John. 

"How  to  Tell  Stories  to  Children,"  by  Sarah  Cone 
Bryant. 

(2)  Books  of  stories : 

"Knights  of  Service,"  by  Emerson  O.  Bradshaw. 
Contains  22  Bible  stories  and  19  character  stories. 
Very  good. 

^  Prices  and  directions  for  securing  these  books  will  be  found  in 
the  Appendix. 

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OTHER  MATERIALS  OF  WORSHIP 


"Story  Worship  Programs  for  the  Church  School 
Year/'  by  Jay  S.  Stowell. 

"More  Story  Worship  Programs,"  by  Jay  S.  Stowell. 

"Why  the  Chimes  Rang,"  by  Raymond  Alden. 

"Story  Worship  Material,"  National  Girls'  Work 
Board,  Toronto,  Canada. 

Making  "Talks"  in  the  Worship  Service 

Not  every  kind  of  talk  is  helpful  in  worship.  For 
example,  a  talk  about  flowers  might  be  very  interesting 
and  helpful  in  a  general  way;  but  unless  it  helps  the 
worshiper  to  feel  the  presence  of  the  God  who  made  the 
flowers,  it  is  not  worshipful. 

So,  the  talk  in  the  worship  service  should  always  con- 
tribute to  the  development  of  the  worship  experience. 
The  effective  talk  is  close  akin  to  the  story  and  will 
make  liberal  use  of  story  material.  This  is  especially 
true  for  groups  in  which  there  are  younger  boys  and 
girls. 

For  older  boys  and  girls  and  adults,  the  talk  may  take 
the  form  of  a  brief  discussion  of  some  concrete  and 
definite  problem  of  daily  Hfe.  This  problem  should  be  in 
harmony  with  the  general  theme  of  the  worship  service, 
and  the  talk  should  not  only  point  out  ways  of  solving 
the  problem,  but  should  strive  to  develop  the  desire  on 
the  part  of  the  worshipers  to  cooperate  with  God  in 
working  out  the  solution. 

Worship  services  in  the  small  Sunday  school  are 
usually  limited  to  fifteen  minutes.  The  talk  should 
never  take  more  than  one-half  of  this  time,  and  in  most 
instances  five  minutes  will  be  enough. 

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With  careful  preparation  an  excellent  talk  can  be 
made  in  five  minutes  or  less,  on  almost  any  theme  that 
lends  itself  to  worship  purposes.  And  the  worship  serv- 
ice is  not  the  place  for  making  impromptu  remarks.  If 
a  talk  is  worth  making,  it  is  worth  the  time  and  the 
work  necessary  to  prepare  it  in  the  best  possible  manner. 

By  preparing  the  talk  ahead  of  time  we  mean  that  the 
speaker  will  first  of  all  study  his  topic  thoroughly.  He 
will  then  carefully  organize  in  a  definite  and  orderly 
manner  what  he  wants  to  say.  He  may,  or  may  not, 
write  it  out.  This  will  depend  upon  the  person  pre- 
paring the  talk.  The  best  public  speakers  find  it  very 
helpful  to  write  out  what  they  are  going  to  say.  And 
most  of  them  feel  that  the  briefer  the  talk  the  more 
necessary  it  is  to  plan  its  content  carefully. 

Worship  talks  should  be  positive  and  constructive  in 
nature.  The  worship  service  is  not  the  place  for  de- 
scribing the  shortcomings  of  persons  or  institutions. 
No  matter  what  the  difficulties  may  be,  let  the  speaker 
strive  to  suggest  practical  and  definite  solutions  for  the 
problems  confronting  the  group.  And  as  has  already 
been  pointed  out,  the  great  majority  of  people  need  to 
have  their  desires  to  face  the  problems  of  life  as  Chris- 
tians strengthened.  The  worship  talk  should  strengthen 
these  desires  and  thereby  help  each  worshiper  to  dedicate 
himself  anew  to  the  task  of  building  a  better  world. 

A  common  mistake  in  the  making  of  worship  talks  is 
the  practice  of  "talking  down"  to  the  worshipers.  Of 
course,  one  should  select  language  that  is  easily  under- 
stood by  all,  but  it  is  never  wise  to  call  attention  to  this 
fact.    A  visiting  preacher  remarked  at  the  beginning  of 

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his  sermon:  "I  had  two  sermons  in  mind  this  morning; 
one  very  simple,  the  other  rather  elaborate.  At  first,  I 
was  in  doubt  about  which  one  I  should  preach,  but 
after  considerable  thought  I  decided  that  the  simpler 
one  would  be  more  appropriate."  It  is  needless  to 
state  that  his  congregation  resented  the  implication 
that  they  could  not  understand  the  more  learned  ser- 
mon. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  have  a  talk  in  every  worship 
service.  Rarely,  if  ever,  will  a  talk  and  a  story  of  any 
considerable  length  be  used  in  the  same  service. 

The  Use  of  Pictures  in  Worship 

Pictures,  like  stories,  make  vivid  and  real  the  highest 
ideals  and  greatest  truths  of  life.  Who  has  not  felt  the 
call  to  worship  God  surge  into  his  heart  as  he  looked 
upon  the  bowed  heads  and  the  reverent  attitude  of  the 
farmer  lad  and  his  wife  in  that  famous  painting,  "The 
Angelus,"  by  Millet?  In  the  distant  background  is  the 
village  church,  and  from  its  steeple  the  bells  are  ringing 
out  the  call  to  evening  prayer. 

In  our  home  there  hangs  an  inexpensive  copy  of 
Hofmann's  "Jesus  in  Gethsemane."  No  words  can 
portray  the  vivid  reality  of  that  tragic  scene.  Forsaken 
by  all,  even  the  twelve  disciples,  the  Master  suffers  and 
prays  alone.  How  grateful  we  should  be  to  the  artist 
for  helping  us  to  understand  more  clearly  the  love  that 
moved  the  Son  of  Man  to  make  so  great  a  sacrifice. 

These  illustrations  serve  to  point  out  the  influence  of 
good  pictures  in  the  lives  of  men.  God  works  through 
men  in  the  painting  of  beautiful  pictures,  and  we  should 

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not  hesitate  to  use  their  handiwork  in  making  our 
churches  more  effective  as  places  of  worship. 

1.  Suggestions  for  Using  Pictures  in  the  Worship 
Services  of  the  One-Room  Sunday  School. 

(1)  Secure  in  advance  small  and  inexpensive  copies  of 
a  picture  that  is  to  be  used  in  a  worship  service.  Give  a 
copy  of  this  picture  to  each  teacher  with  the  request 
that  on  the  Sunday  preceding  the  date  of  using  the 
picture  in  the  school  worship  service  the  teacher  spend  a 
few  minutes  showing  the  picture  to  her  class  and  ex- 
plaining its  meaning. 

In  the  worship  service  a  larger  copy  of  the  picture 
may  be  again  shown  to  the  entire  group  or  simply 
pinned  on  the  wall  where  all  can  see  it.  No  direct  ref- 
erence need  be  made  to  it  in  the  worship  service.  The 
very  fact  of  its  presence  will  recall  the  experience  of  the 
previous  Sunday  and  help  the  pupils  to  enter  into  the 
spirit  of  the  service  which  the  picture  represents. 

(2)  More  and  more  the  small  Sunday  school  is  finding 
the  solution  of  many  of  its  problems  in  a  brief  fellowship 
period  at  the  opening  of  the  Sunday  school  hour.  As 
has  been  suggested,  it  provides  the  opportunity  for 
teaching  new  hymns,  making  announcements,  and 
preparing  the  school  for  the  worship  period  which  is  to 
follow. 

Occasionally,  this  period  may  be  used  for  the  study 
of  a  picture  or  some  other  piece  of  art.  Suppose  that  a 
worship  service  is  being  planned  around  the  theme 
"Helping  Others."  What  would  be  more  helpful  than 
to  show  the  entire  school  a  copy  of  the  picture  "How  a 
a  Shepherd  Boy  Helped  a  King"  and  spend  a  few 

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minutes  talking  about  the  artist  who  painted  it,  how  it 
came  to  be  painted,  and  its  message  for  us?  Or,  suppose 
that  the  worship  service  is  on  some  theme  connected 
with  the  old,  old  story  of  the  birth  of  Jesus — what  would 
be  more  appropriate  than  a  brief  study  of  some  such 
picture  as  Mueller's  "Holy  Night,"  or  Lerolle's  "Arrival 
of  the  Shepherds"? 

(3)  No  matter  how  small  the  school,  it  can  always 
have  a  few  copies  of  beautiful  religious  pictures  upon 
the  walls.  In  a  school  that  brings  all  groups  together  for 
the  worship  service,  it  will  be  best  to  have  pictures  that 
appeal  to  both  younger  and  older  pupils.  Pictures  suita- 
ble for  this  use  are:  "Madonna  and  Child,"  by  Max; 
"Holy  Night,"  by  Mueller;  "Jesus  in  Gethsemane,"  by 
Hofmann;  "Jesus  and  the  Fisherman,"  by  Zimmerman; 
"Head  of  Christ,"  by  Hofmann;  "Christ  Blessing  Little 
Children,"  by  Plockhorst;  "Arrival  of  the  Shepherds," 
by  Lerolle. 

Two  or  three  carefully  selected  pictures,  appro- 
priately framed  and  hung  where  all  can  see  them,  are 
better  than  a  large  number  carelessly  selected  and  hung 
at  random  about  the  church. 

It  is  not  wise  to  keep  the  same  picture  on  the  wall 
until  it  becomes  worn  and  dusty.  It  is  better  to  change 
pictures  quite  frequently  so  that  Christmas  pictures, 
for  example,  may  be  brought  before  the  pupils  at  the 
appropriate  season. 

2.  Where  to  Get  Good  Pictures  for  Use  in  Worship. — 
Fortunately,  copies  and  reprints  of  many  of  the  famous 
religious  paintings  of  the  world  can  be  secured  at  very 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


low  cost.    The  following  publishers  are  reliable  and  will 
take  pleasure  in  sending  catalogues  of  pictures: 

Perry  Picture  Company,  Maiden,  Mass.  This 
company  specializes  in  pictures  of  all  sizes  and  in  prices 
ranging  from  one  cent  to  two  dollars. 

Taber-Prang  Art  Company,  Springfield,  Mass.  This 
company  carries  the  least  expensive  of  the  larger  re- 
productions in  artotypes  and  carbons.  Sizes  suitable 
for  placing  on  the  wall  of  the  worship  room  may  be  had 
at  prices  ranging  from  twenty  cents  to  four  dollars. 

Lamar  &  Whitmore,  810  Broadway,  Nashville,  Tenn., 
carry  a  fairly  good-sized  stock  of  low-priced  but  excel- 
lent quality  pictures  that  are  especially  useful  in  con- 
nection with  the  Group  Graded  and  Closely  Graded 
Lessons. 

The  following  books  will  help  teachers  and  leaders  of 
worship  to  use  pictures  more  effectively  in  the  class 
session  and  in  the  worship  service:^ 

"How  to  Show  Pictures  to  Children,"  by  Estelle  May 
Hurll. 

"  Pictures  Every  Child  Should  Know,"  by  Mrs.  Mary 
Schell  Bacon. 

"Famous  Bible  Pictures  and  Stories  They  Tell,"  by 
Elizabeth  Bonsall. 

Dramatization  in  Worship 

There  is  an  increasing  use  of  plays,  pageants,  and 
other  forms  of  dramatic  expression  in  the  Church  to-day. 
While  no  Sunday  school  should  undertake  elaborate 

2  Prices  and  directions  for  securing  these  books  will  be  found  in 
the  Appendix. 


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OTHER  MATERIALS  OF  WORSHIP 


performances  without  the  leadership  of  some  person 
who  is  thoroughly  trained  in  religious  dramatization, 
there  is  no  reason  why  even  the  smallest  school  should 
not  enrich  its  worship  services  with  simple  pageants  and 
tableaux.  Especially  at  Christmas  and  Easter  time  the 
school  will  find  an  abundance  of  material  suitable  for 
use  by  persons  who  have  little  or  no  training  in  dramatic 
art. 

The  following  publications  will  help  persons  interested 
in  this  form  of  worship  material  secure  both  source 
material  and  practical  help  in  its  use:^ 

"Use  of  Drama  in  Religious  Education,"  a  pamphlet 
issued  by  the  Religious  Education  Association. 

"Pageants  for  Special  Days  in  the  Church  Year,"  by 
Mary  M.  Russell. 

"Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories,"  by  E.  E.  Miller. 

Nature  Materials  in  Worship 

Many  leaders  of  worship  find  materials  in  the  great 
world  of  out-of-doors.  The  country  church  is  especially 
fortunate  at  this  point.  In  the  springtime,  there  is  an 
abundance  of  dogwood  and  wild  flowers  for  the  gather- 
ing. In  autumn,  the  goldenrod,  leaves  of  innumerable 
tints  and  colors,  ripened  pumpkins  and  stalks  of  corn 
provide  the  leader  of  worship  with  a  great  variety  of 
material  with  which  the  church  on  Sunday  morning 
may  be  transformed  into  a  beautiful  reminder  of  God's 
loving  care. 

The  collecting  of  appropriate  nature  materials  and 

^  Prices  and  directions  for  securing  this  material  will  be  found  in 
the  Appendix. 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


the  decorating  of  the  church  for  worship  services  will 
provide  class  groups  with  many  opportunities  to  share  in 
wholesome  enterprises.  Not  only  will  these  groups 
render  a  service  to  the  entire  school  by  providing 
beautiful  settings  for  the  worship  service  of  the  school, 
but  the  contacts  with  nature  in  the  gathering  of  the 
material  will  provide  the  class  itself  with  abundant 
opportunities  for  worship. 

Not  only  should  the  Sunday  school  think  of  bringing 
some  of  the  beauties  of  nature  into  the  worship  service 
at  the  church,  but  the  country  Sunday  school  especially 
has  the  opportunity  of  planning  a  few  of  its  worship 
services  through  the  year  for  use  in  some  attractive 
out-of-door  location.  On  a  hilltop  at  sunrise  or  sunset, 
in  a  shady  glen,  by  a  lake  or  in  the  presence  of  a  newly 
harvested  field  of  grain — any  place  that  provides  an 
opportunity  for  assembling  the  school,  or  sections  of  it, 
for  worship. 

For  suggestions  in  planning  outdoor  services  of  wor- 
ship, secure  "Services  for  the  Open,"  by  L.  I.  Mattoon 
and  H.  D.  Bragdon. 

The  Offering  and  the  Worship  Service 

Experience  in  a  number  of  small  schools  seems  to 
indicate  that  the  offering  can  and  should  be  a  definite 
part  of  the  worship  service.  The  purpose  of  the  offering 
will  determine  the  appropriate  place  for  it.  If  it  is 
simply  the  offering  which  is  taken  regularly  every 
Sunday  for  the  running  expenses  of  the  school,  then  it 
should  come  early  in  the  service.  This  type  of  offering 
may  well  be  thought  of  as  an  expression  of  thanks  for 

84 


OTHER  MATERIALS  OF  WORSHIP 


God's  blessings  in  daily  life  and  in  that  way  help  the 
worshiper  to  realize  more  keenly  the  presence  of  God. 

Occasionally,  the  worship  service  will  center  around 
an  offering  for  some  special  cause.  In  this  case,  the 
program  should  be  planned  so  that  the  offering  comes 
near  the  close  of  the  service  and  in  this  way  provide  the 
worshipers  with  an  opportunity  of  rendering  Christian 
service  through  a  gift  of  money. 

In  either  case,  the  offering  should  be  treated  as  a 
definite  part  of  the  worship  experience.  Soft  instru- 
mental music  may  be  played  while  it  is  being  taken. 
Those  who  are  responsible  for  passing  the  plates  should 
be  in  their  places  and  carry  out  their  part  with  as  little 
confusion  as  possible.  The  plates  should  be  brought  to 
the  altar  quietly  and  reverently.  In  services  where  the 
offering  is  made  the  climax,  a  prayer  of  dedication,  and 
dismissal  to  the  work  of  the  classes  should  follow  im- 
mediately. Otherwise,  the  ushers  should  resume  their 
seats  or  quietly  withdraw  to  the  rear  of  the  room. 

No  effort  has  been  made  in  this  chapter  to  describe  all 
materials  that  may  be  used  in  the  worship  service. 
Rich  resources  in  poetry  and  prose  not  mentioned  in 
these  pages  will  suggest  themselves  to  the  alert  leader  of 
worship.  Local  stories  of  heroic  pioneers  of  the  Church 
will  add  their  contribution.  Experiences  of  present-day 
home  and  community  life  will  provide  abundant  op- 
portunity for  making  the  worship  experience  a  part  of 
daily  life. 

No  church  and  Sunday  school  need  be  without  an 
abundance  of  rich  worship  materials.    But  there  is  one 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


thing  that  should  always  be  remembered.  Whatever 
material  is  used — prayers,  music,  stories,  pictures, 
nature,  poetry,  offerings — it  is  a  means  to  an  end;  not 
an  end  in  itself.  And  that  end  is  helping  men  and  wom- 
en, boys  and  girls  into  a  more  perfect  worship  experience 
with  God  the  Father. 

86 


CHAPTER  VII 

PLANNING  PROGRAMS  FOR  WORSHIP 
SERVICES 

Next  to  finding  and  selecting  the  right  kind  of 
materials  for  use  in  worship  services  the  actual  planning 
of  the  service  is  the  most  difficult  task.  In  fact,  the  two 
problems — of  selecting  material  and  of  organizing  it  for 
successful  use  in  the  service — are  so  closely  related  that 
they  cannot  be  separated  in  actual  practice.  An  under- 
standing of  the  use  of  worship  materials  in  an  organized 
service  of  worship  always  helps  in  the  discovery  and 
selection  of  these  materials.  On  the  other  hand,  knowl- 
edge of  the  sources  and  principles  governing  the  use  of 
the  materials  of  worship  is  necessary  before  anyone  can 
plan  an  effective  worship  service. 

This  chapter  discusses  some  of  the  principles  underly- 
ing the  planning  of  worship  services,  while  the  chapter 
which  immediately  follows  undertakes  to  offer  more 
detailed  help  in  organizing  the  school  for  preparing  and 
carrying  out  these  services. 

Development  of  Public  Worship  Service  Should 

Keep  Step  with  Development  of 

Worship  Experience 

It  will  be  recalled  from  the  discussion  in  the  first 
chapter  of  "What  Happens  When  We  Worship?"  that 
there  are  five  distinct  steps  in  the  development  of  the 
individual's  worship  experience.     It  is  very  important 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


that  these  steps  be  kept  in  mind  and  followed  in  plan- 
ning the  public  worship  service.    These  five  steps  are: 

1.  A  desire  to  worship.  This  desire  may  express  itself 
in  a  feeling  of  need  to  worship  in  order  to  find  a  way  out 
of  some  problem  or  difficulty.  Whatever  the  source  of 
this  desire,  it  is  necessary  to  the  most  effective  worship. 
In  planning  worship  services,  we  therefore  seek  to  begin 
the  service  In  such  a  way  as  to  encourage  people  to 
want  to  worship. 

2.  Realization  by  the  worshiper  that  he  is  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God.  The  program  for  the  public  worship  serv- 
ice takes  this  important  step  in  the  individual's  experi- 
ence into  account  and  undertakes  to  intensify  this 
feeling  by  the  use  of  such  hymns  or  other  worship 
materials  as  tend  to  make  him  realize  the  presence  of 
God. 

3.  A  feeling  of  humility  and  unworthiness. 

4.  Facing  the  facts  of  life  as  they  are.  The  public 
worship  service  should  seek  to  help  the  worshiper  face 
the  problems  of  his  daily  life  fairly  and  squarely.  It  is 
at  this  point  in  the  worship  service  that  stories  and  talks 
are  found  to  be  most  effective. 

5.  Dedication  of  the  worshiper  to  the  task  of  solving 
the  problems  and  righting  the  wrongs  of  life.  In 
harmony  with  this  climax  in  the  experience  of  the  wor- 
shiper the  public  worship  service  should  close  with  the 
leader's  prayer  or  a  hymn  of  consecration  committing 
the  group  to  definite  efforts  of  service  in  God's 
kingdom. 

88 


PLANNING  PROGRAMS 


Materials  of  Worship  Are  Means  of  Helping 

People  to  Worship,  Not  an  End  in 

Themselves 

The  hymns,  the  prayers,  the  Scripture  readings,  the 
talks,  and  all  other  materials  which  may  be  used  in  the 
service  should  be  used,  not  for  their  own  sake,  but  for 
the  contribution  which  they  have  to  make  toward  more 
effective  worship. 

An  effective  method  of  applying  this  principle  is  to  put 
it  into  the  form  of  a  question:  "Will  this  piece  of 
material  which  is  about  to  be  selected  for  use  in  the 
worship  service  help  the  persons  who  attend  the  service 
to  worship  in  the  best  possible  way?"  This  same 
principle  will  also  apply  to  persons  taking  part  in  the 
service.  Each  person  taking  part  in  the  service  should 
be  selected  for  his  ability  to  sing,  tell  a  story,  read  a 
passage  of  Scripture,  or  lead  a  prayer  in  such  a  way  as  to 
help  people  worship  more  effectively. 

The  application  of  this  principle  will  quite  often  reveal 
the  fact  that  it  is  not  always  the  best  "trained"  person, 
or  the  person  with  most  experience  in  public  programs, 
who  is  most  effective  in  worship  services.  Wise  leaders 
of  worship  will  not  depend  altogether  upon  the  persons 
who  are  in  the  habit  of  taking  part  in  the  service  every 
Sunday,  but  will  seek  to  enlist  one  or  two  "new"  persons 
in  each  service. 

Worship  Service  Should  Be  Planned  Around 

Central  Theme 
The  theme  of  a  worship  service  provides  the  leader 
and  his  helpers  with  a  central  point  around  which  to 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


organize  the  various  materials  used  in  the  service.  It  is 
as  necessary  to  the  effective  planning  of  a  worship 
service  as  a  text  is  to  the  minister  in  the  building  of  his 
sermon. 

The  selection  of  a  central  theme  and  its  constant 
presence  before  the  leader  of  worship  will  help  him  to 
avoid  the  mistake  of  trying  to  crowd  too  many  good 
things  into  one  service.  We  must  learn  to  choose  not 
only  between  the  good  and  the  bad,  but  also  between 
the  good  and  the  best. 

Still  another  reason  for  planning  the  worship  service 
around  a  definite  theme  Is  the  fact  that  most  people  can 
think  effectively  of  only  one  thing  at  a  time.  One 
definite  and  concrete  suggestion  will  carry  more  weight 
in  helping  people  to  worship  than  a  half  dozen  indefinite 
and  poorly  presented  Ideas. 

The  selection  of  the  themes  for  the  worship  services  in 
a  school  where  all  groups  meet  together  should  be  In  the 
hands  of  a  committee.  This  committee  should  select 
the  theme  and  make  the  general  plan  for  each  service  at 
least  one  month  In  advance.  Wherever  possible,  these 
plans  should  be  made  for  an  entire  quarter  in  advance. 

In  the  school  without  a  worship  committee  the  super- 
intendent and  the  person  selected  by  him  to  lead  the 
worship  service  will  select  a  theme  and  work  out  the 
details  of  the  service. 

In  the  selection  of  themes  for  worship  services  two 
principles  stand  out  above  everything  else. 

First,  worship  services  should  begin  where  people  are 
and  not  where  we  would  like  for  them  to  be. 

This  means  that  the  themes  for  worship  services 

90 


PLANNING  PROGRAMS 


should  deal  with  problems  which  the  school  and  the 
community  are  facing.  In  applying  this  principle,  one 
school  in  a  country  community  where  the  athletic 
program  of  the  consolidated  high  school  was  the  center 
of  interest  during  the  fall  and  winter  months  planned  a 
series  of  worship  services  dealing  with  problems  of  fair 
play  and  Christian  sportsmanship.  Another  school 
during  the  time  when  a  political  campaign  was  in  prog- 
ress planned  its  worship  services  around  such  themes 
as  "Loyalty  to  High  Ideals"  and  "How  Can  Boys  and 
Girls  Who  Are  Not  Old  Enough  to  Vote  Best  Serve 
Their  Community?" 

The  problems  of  various  groups  may  also  be  used  as 
themes  for  worship  services  for  the  entire  school.  A  wor- 
ship service  built  around  some  such  theme  as  "Learn- 
ing to  Know  Our  Father's  World"  is  not  only  interesting 
and  helpful  for  the  younger  children,  but  for  older 
people  as  well.  The  older  boys  and  girls  and  the  young 
people  in  the  Sunday  school  are  interested  in  a  multitude 
of  problems  and  thrilling  life  situations.  The  wise 
superintendent  will  seek  to  use  these  problems  just  as 
often  as  possible  and  give  to  the  persons  most  keenly 
interested  an  opportunity  to  share  in  building  and 
carrying  out  the  programs  on  these  themes. 

Second,  leaders  of  worship  may  profitably  use  the 
seasonal  interest  of  people  as  the  central  theme  around 
which  to  build  the  service. 

The  interests  which  naturally  arise  in  the  lives  of 
people  at  such  special  seasons  as  Easter,  Thanksgiving, 
and  Christmas  may  serve  as  very  helpful  themes  for  a 
number  of  worship  services.    These  themes  should  always 

91 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


be  in  keeping  with  the  spirit  and  purpose  of  these 
sacred  seasons,  and  no  effort  should  be  made  to  provide 
programs  of  "entertainment"  on  these  occasions. 

Another  point  to  remember  is  that  themes  connected 
with  any  special  season  are  far  more  effective  as  worship 
material  if  used  before  the  climax  of  the  season  is 
reached.  That  is,  worship  programs  connected  with  the 
/  Thanksgiving  season  should  be  used  before  and  not 
after  Thanksgiving  Day.  The  same  would  be  true  of 
Christmas  or  any  other  special  season.  People  lose 
interest  very  rapidly  in  a  special  day  or  season  the 
moment  the  climax  of  that  season  is  reached.  It  is  very 
difficult  to  revive  that  interest  until  we  begin  to  ap- 
proach this  season  in  a  new  year. 

Variety  in  Worship  Services 

While  talking  with  a  young  man  about  attending  the 
worship  services  of  the  school,  a  Sunday  school  super- 
intendent asked  the  direct  question:  "Why  do  you  and 
your  friends  always  wait  outside  the  church  until  the 
class  period  begins?"  The  young  man  replied  with  an 
equally  direct  answer.  He  said:  "The  opening  service 
is  the  same  old  thing  over  and  over  every  Sunday  until 
everybody  knows  exactly  what  is  going  to  happen  before 
the  service  ever  begins." 

The  best  kind  of  worship  service  would  become  dull 
and  uninteresting  if  repeated  on  a  dozen  successive 
/'■''  Sundays.  Sunday  schools  everywhere  are  suffering 
from  a  disease  that  might  well  be  called  "sameitis." 
Some  of  the  symptoms  of  this  disease  are:  Singing  the 
same  songs  Sunday  after  Sunday,  calling  on  the  same 

92 


PLANNING  PROGRAMS 


person  to  lead  the  prayer  time  after  time,  opening  the 
Sunday  school  in  exactly  the  same  way  every  Sunday, 
doing  everything  in  the  same  way  to-day  that  it  was 
done  yesterday  and  last  year.  The  outcome  of  this 
terrible  disease  is  spiritual  death  for  the  individual 
members  of  the  school  and  for  the  school  as  a  whole. 

There  are  many  ways  in  which  the  resourceful  leader 
of  worship  can  give  variety  to  programs  of  worship  and 
at  the  same  time  maintain  the  spirit  and  dignity  of  real 
worship.  Outstanding  among  these  methods,  of  course, 
is  the  use  of  a  different  theme  each  Sunday.  The  general 
outline  of  the  worship  service  will  be  the  same,  but  a 
different  point  of  interest  will  serve  to  make  it  real  and 
vital  in  the  lives  of  the  worshipers. 

Another  method  of  giving  wholesome  variety  to  the 
worship  service  is  in  the  presentation  of  the  materials  of 
worship.  A  hymn  that  we  have  learned  to  know  only 
through  its  use  by  the  congregation  may  prove  very 
effective  as  a  solo  or  a  duet.  The  music  of  some  familiar 
hymn,  such  as  "Sweet  Hour  of  Prayer,"  can  be  used 
effectively  as  a  background  for  silent  prayer  and 
meditation.  The  music  is  played  softly  by  the  pianist 
while  the  group  sits  with  bowed  heads  and  follows  the 
suggestions  of  the  leader  in  silent  prayer. 

It  will  be  recalled  from  the  discussion  in  Chapter  VI 
that  even  the  Scriptures  may  be  read  in  a  number  of 
ways  that  are  helpful.  The  writer  recalls  a  worship 
service  at  Christmas  time  when  the  familiar  story  of  the 
birth  of  Jesus  was  narrated  in  the  speaker's  own  words 
rather  than  in  the  exact  language  of  the  Bible.    The 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


speaker  told  the  story  simply  and  reverently  and  the 
effect  was  wonderful. 

Back  of  all  successful  effort  to  secure  variety  in 
worship  services  must  be  the  sincere  desire  on  the  part 
of  the  leader  to  make  the  service  truly  worshipful.  For 
the  most  effective  of  all  variety  in  worship  is  the  ever- 
changing  variety  of  life.  If  the  worship  service  is 
really  and  truly  alive,  it  will  not  lack  wholesome  variety. 

94 


CHAPTER  VIII 
ORGANIZING  FOR  WORSHIP 

Let  us  visualize  an  opening  service  in  a  Sunday  school 
where  little  or  no  effort  has  been  made  to  prepare  for  it. 

Place:  A  one-room  church  where  all  age  groups  meet  together 

for  the  worship  service. 
Time:  Twelve  minutes  past  ten  o'clock  on  a  Sunday  morning 

in  June. 
Superintendent:  (Who  has  been  waiting  patiently  for  some 

one  to  come  who  can  play  the  piano.)     "Let  everybody 

who  will  help  in  the  singing  please  come  to  the  front. 

Mrs.  Smith,  will  you  please  play  for  us?" 
Mrs.  Smith:  "Let  Mrs.  Jones  play.    I  am  afraid  that  I  can't 

play  the  songs  you  would  want  to  sing." 
Superintendent:  "Come  on,  Mrs.  Smith,  and  play;  we  will 

sing  nothing  but  old  songs  this  morning."     (Mrs.  Smith 

finally  takes  her  seat  at  the  piano.) 
Superintendent:  "What  shall  we  sing?    Somebody  make  a 

selection." 
Susie  Jones:  "Number  97." 
Jimmie  Smith:  "Number  126." 
Superintendent:  "I  believe  that  No.  97  was  announced  first, 

so  we  will  sing  it  and  then  sing  No.  126.     Not  many  of  us 

here  this  morning,  so  let  everybody  sing." 
Mrs.  Smith:  "I  can't  play  No.  97.' " 

Superintendent:  "What  about  No.  126?    Can  you  play  it?" 
Mrs.  Smith:  (Turning  pages  of  songbook.)  "I  can't  play  it 

either." 
Superintendent:  "Well,  select  something  that  you  can  play." 
Mrs.  Smith:  "I  can  play  'Shall  We  Gather  at  the  River?' " 
Superintendent:  "All  right.     Let's  sing  it.     What  number 

is  it?    No.  208.    Everybody  turn  to  No.  208  and  sing." 
95 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


After  singing  "Shall  We  Gather  at  the  River?"  the 
superintendent  called  for  another  selection,  and  after 
considerable  delay  a  song  was  found  that  Mrs.  Smith 
could  play.  At  the  close  of  this  song,  the  pastor  was 
called  on  to  lead  a  prayer.  Following  the  prayer  another 
song  was  sung,  and  the  superintendent  instructed  "the 
classes  to  take  their  places  and  the  teachers  to  take 
charge." 

Altogether,  this  opening  service  used  nearly  twenty 
minutes  of  the  Sunday  school  hour.  Counting  the 
twelve  minutes  lost  because  the  school  did  not  open 
promptly  at  ten  o'clock  and  the  time  required  for  the 
pupils  to  go  to  their  classes,  a  total  of  thirty-five  minutes 
— more  than  one-half  of  the  Sunday  school  hour — was 
used  before  the  class  work  actually  started. 

But  time  was  not  the  only  thing  lost  in  this  opening 
service.  Along  with  at  least  fifteen  minutes  of  precious 
time,  every  officer  and  teacher  and  pupil  of  this  Sunday 
school  lost,  as  far  as  that  particular  Sunday  school  hour 
was  concerned,  the  opportunity  of  worshiping  God  in  a 
real  and  helpful  way.  Furthermore,  the  work  of  the 
teachers  in  their  classes  was  made  more  difficult  because 
of  the  failure  of  the  worship  service  to  make  proper  prep- 
aration for  the  class  period  which  was  to  follow. 

Why  was  this  opening  service  (it  can  hardly  be  called  a 
worship  service)  a  failure?  Was  it  due  to  lack  of  ability 
on  the  part  of  the  superintendent  and  his  helpers  in 
planning  and  carrying  out  a  worth-while  worship  serv- 
ice? Not  at  all.  The  superintendent,  the  officers  and 
teachers,  and  a  number  of  pupils  in  that  school  were  as 

96 


ORGANIZING  FOR  WORSHIP 


capable  of  planning  and  leading  an  effective  worship 
service  as  almost  any  group  of  workers  anywhere. 

What  was  the  trouble?  Simply  this:  the  superin- 
tendent and  his  fellow  workers  did  not  think  that  wor- 
ship in  the  Sunday  school  was  of  sufficient  importance 
for  them  to  go  to  the  trouble  of  organizing  their  forces 
for  effective  worship. 

Worship  services  do  not  just  happen.  Somebody 
must  plan  for  them  in  advance.  In  the  Sunday  school, 
the  need  for  a  well-planned  and  helpful  worship  service 
every  Sunday  makes  it  necessary  for  the  superintendent 
and  his  fellow  workers  to  organize  their  forces  for  this 
important  task.  Otherwise,  the  school  will  find  itself 
trying  to  worship  each  Sunday  morning  with  little  or  no 
preparation  having  been  made  for  the  service. 

Responsibility  for  Worship  Services  in  the 
Small  Sunday  School 

In  the  school  where  all  age  groups  must  worship 
together  the  chief  responsibility  for  the  worship  of  the 
school  as  a  whole  rests  upon  the  general  superintendent. 
Not  that  he  will  assume  the  responsibility  of  leading  all 
the  services;  this  is  not  necessary  nor  desirable,  but 
upon  his  shoulders  rests  the  responsibility  of  seeing  that 
the  worship  services  are  properly  planned  for  and  carried 
out. 

The  wise  superintendent  will  not  undertake  the  plan- 
ning of  the  worship  services  of  his  school  without  the 
help  of  the  Workers'  Council.  This  help  can  be  rendered 
most  effectively  through  a  Worship  Committee,  with 
the  superintendent  as  the  ex-officio  chairman. 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


The  Committee  on  Worship  should  not  be  large.  In 
schools  where  all  age  groups  worship  together  it  should 
be  composed  of  the  superintendent,  the  pastor,  one 
representative  from  each  of  the  three  principal  age- 
group  divisions  or  classes,  and  in  most  instances  the 
leader  of  music.  The  selection  of  a  representative  from 
the  various  age -groups  helps  to  insure  that  the  needs  of 
these  groups  will  be  taken  into  account  in  planning  the 
services. 

The  representative  from  the  Elementary  group  should 
be  one  of  the  teachers.  In  the  Adolescent  and  Adult 
groups  the  selection  should  come  from  the  entire  group 
and  need  not  necessarily  be  a  teacher. 

A  practical  method  of  selecting  the  members  of  this 
committee,  other  than  the  pastor  and  superintendent, 
who  are  members  by  virtue  of  their  office,  is  for  the 
various  age  groups  to  make  nominations  to  the  Workers* 
Council.^  In  the  case  of  the  representative  from  the 
Elementary  group  the  nomination  should,  of  course,  be 
made  by  the  teachers  of  Elementary  classes.  In  the 
Adolescent  and  Adult  groups  the  nomination  should 
come  from  the  entire  group.  That  is,  the  selection  in 
either  of  these  two  older  groups  should  be  made  by 
the  group  and  reported  to  the  Workers*  Council  for 
confirmation.  Since  the  official  staff  of  the  school  is  well 
represented  on  this  committee  by  the  pastor,  the  super- 
intendent, and  the  representative  from  the  Elementary 
group,   the  representatives  from  the  Adolescent  and 

^In  schools  where  the  Sunday  School  Committee  is  functioning 
the  Worship  Committee  should  be  confirmed  by  it. 

98 


ORGANIZING  FOR  WORSHIP 


Adult  groups  should,  in  practically  all  instances,  be  one 
of  the  pupils. 

Work  of  the  Worship  Committee 

While  the  work  of  this  committee  is  of  the  utmost 
importance,  it  is  not  complicated  with  a  large  number  of 
details.  The  committee  should  direct  its  attention, 
first  of  all,  to  the  following  items: 

First,  general  plans  for  improving  the  worship  services 
of  the  school.  Permanent  results  in  any  enterprise  are 
attained  only  through  carefully  laid  plans  over  a  long 
period  of  time.  The  Worship  Committee  should  think 
of  its  work  in  terms  of  months  and  years  rather  than  in 
terms  of  this  week  and  next  Sunday.  It  is  only  through 
this  looking  into  the  future  and  planning  for  months  in 
advance  that  the  Worship  Committee  can  make  the  best 
possible  use  of  special  seasons  of  the  year,  such  as 
Christmas  and  Easter.  One  of  the  oft-repeated  trage- 
dies of  Sunday  school  work  is  the  failure  to  allow  suffi- 
cient time  for  adequate  preparation.  We  wait  until  the 
last  minute  to  begin  our  preparation  for  a  worship 
service  and  then  wonder  why  it  fails. 

The  Worship  Committee  should  not  only  plan  in  ad- 
vance for  the  worship  services  which  center  around  the 
Christmas  and  Easter  seasons,  but  for  every  service 
throughout  the  year.  The  committee  may  well  afford 
to  give  serious  consideration  to  such  questions  as: 
"What  are  we  trying  to  accomplish  through  the  worship 
services  of  the  Sunday  school  during  the  coming  year?'* 
"What  materials  will  be  needed  from  Sunday  to  Sunday 
in  planning  the  kind  of  service  that  will  contribute  to  our 

99 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


goal  for  the  year?"  "What  can  the  committee  do  to 
train  the  people  in  an  understanding  and  appreciation 
of  worship  so  that  they  will  take  a  more  intelligent  part 
in  the  services  than  heretofore?"  "How  can  the  com- 
mittee help  the  leaders  of  worship  from  Sunday  to 
Sunday  prepare  for  the  leadership  of  their  services?" 

In  answering  such  questions  as  these  the  committee 
will  probably  find  it  necessary  to  begin  the  accumulation 
of  a  school  library  of  worship  materials.  Books  and 
magazines,  hymns  and  instrumental  music,  worship 
stories,  and  material  for  talks  are  needed  in  worship 
services,  and  the  Worship  Committee  can  render  no  more 
important  service  than  that  of  starting  a  collection  of 
the  best  material  available  in  these  various  fields.^ 

The  committee  will  probably  find  from  a  study  of  the 
situation  in  their  own  school  that  study  courses  in 
worship  are  badly  needed.  A  part  of  their  task,  there- 
fore, will  be  that  of  helping  the  school  to  arrange  for 
these  courses. 

The  second  main  line  of  work  for  the  Worship  Com- 
mittee will  be  that  of  selecting  the  leaders  for  the  Sunday 
morning  worship  services.  Suggestions  for  the  guidance 
of  the  committee  in  selecting  these  leaders  are  discussed 
in  a  later  section  of  this  chapter.  One  source  of  supply 
that  the  committee  should  not  overlook  in  selecting 
these  leaders  is  the  committee  itself.  While  the  members 
of  the  committee  should  not  appear  as  leaders  of  services 
so  often  as  to  attract  unfavorable  attention,  yet  they 
should  carry  a  fair  and  reasonable  part  of  this  responsi- 

2  Practical  suggestions  for  starting  a  school  library  of  worship 
materials  are  given  in  the  Appendix. 

100 


ORGANIZING  FOR  WORSHIP 


bility.  All  leaders  of  worship  services  should  be  selected 
at  least  one  month  in  advance;  and  if  at  all  possible, 
they  should  be  selected  three  months  in  advance.  No 
one  should  be  announced  as  a  leader  unless  his  consent 
has  been  secured  in  advance. 

A  third  angle  of  the  Worship  Committee's  work  is  that 
of  helping  the  leaders  of  worship  prepare  for  their 
particular  service.  A  practical  means  of  rendering  this 
help  is  for  the  committee  to  have  a  monthly  meeting 
with  the  leaders  for  the  next  month  and  carefully  plan 
the  general  outline  of  each  service. 

This  meeting  will  serve  the  threefold  purpose  of  helping 
each  leader  to  plan  his  service  in  harmony  with  the 
general  theme  for  the  month,  give  the  committee  the 
opportunity  of  suggesting  the  best  materials  for  use  in 
each  service,  and  insure  each  service  against  the  mistake 
of  too  frequent  use  of  any  one  person. 

The  cooperation  of  officers  and  teachers  is  necessary  for 
effective  worship.  Public  worship  is  a  cooperative 
enterprise.  The  success  of  worship  in  the  one-room 
school  is  dependent  especially  upon  the  willingness  of  the 
officers  and  teachers  and  pupils  to  cooperate  with  the 
worship  committee  and  the  leader  of  worship  as  they 
make  their  plans  for  the  service.  This  cooperation  con- 
sists in  actually  taking  part  in  the  leadership  of  sonie 
part  in  the  service  whenever  called  upon  and  in  active 
participation  as  a  sincere  and  devout  worshiper  in  all 
parts  of  the  service. 

Selecting  Leaders  for  the  Worship  Service 

It  has  been  suggested  that  the  responsibility  for  the 

101 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


selection  of  the  leaders  of  worship  services  in  the  Sunday 
school  should  rest  upon  the  worship  committee.  Since 
the  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  is  the  ex- 
officio  chairman  of  the  committee,  this  responsibility 
of  selecting  leaders  will  fall  back  upon  him  in  all  cases 
where  the  Worship  Committee  does  not  function. 

What  kind  of  persons  should  be  selected  as  leaders  of 
worship?  All  the  qualities  of  successful  leadership  in 
any  other  worthy  enterprise  could  be  set  up  as  desirable 
for  the  leader  of  worship,  but  in  the  multiplicity  of 
details  we  sometimes  lose  sight  of  the  things  that  are 
most  important.  Consequently,  emphasis  is  placed 
here  upon  only  the  qualities  of  personal  character 
that  seem  absolutely  necessary  to  the  successful  leader- 
ship of  worship  services. 

First,  the  successful  leader  of  worship  must  be  sincere- 
ly religious.  Real  worship  is  intensely  religious;  there- 
fore its  leadership  must  be  upon  the  same  high  level. 

Nothing  can  take  the  place  of  this  quality  in  leaders 
of  worship.  A  person  may  be  brilliant  and  well  trained 
as  a  public  speaker  or  leader  of  music,  but  unless  he  is 
sincerely  religious  all  his  brilliance  and  training  are 
worth  nothing  in  a  worship  service. 

Effective  leadership  in  worship  not  only  means  that 
the  leader  knows  how,  but  that  he  knows  where  to  lead. 
It  is  extremely  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  for  anyone  to 
lead  others  successfully  where  he  has  never  been  him- 
self. Familiarity  with  the  worship  experience  is,  there- 
fore, a  second  definite  quality  of  successful  leadership  in 
worship.  Note  that  this  statement  does  not  require 
experience  in  the  actual  leadership  of  worship.     It  is 

102 


ORGANIZING  FOR  WORSHIP 


experience  in  worship  that  is  essential.  This  experience 
may  be  gained,  of  course,  in  private  or  as  a  worshiper  in 
the  public  service. 

Experience  in  the  actual  leadership  of  worship  serv- 
ices is  valuable,  of  course,  but  not  essential  to  success. 
Many  persons  have  held  back  from  accepting  a  place  as 
a  leader  of  worship  simply  because  they  felt  that  their 
lack  of  experience  as  a  leader  would  be  an  insurmount- 
able handicap.  The  Worship  Committee  can  do  much 
to  overcome  this  feeling  on  the  part  of  sincerely  religious 
persons  by  quietly  helping  them  to  make  adequate 
preparation  for  the  service  which  they  are  to  lead. 

A  third  quality  of  successful  leadership  in  worship  is 
the  ability  to  lead  a  service  without  attracting  undue 
attention  to  one's  self.  The  great  majority  of  people  have 
this  ability,  but  quite  frequently  they  lack  the  willing- 
ness to  exercise  it.  (See  Chapter  X  for  suggestions  in 
overcoming  this  difficulty.) 

Building  the  Program  for  the  Worship  Service 

The  actual  building  of  the  program  for  a  worship 
service  is  not  a  difficult  task.  A  fair  understanding  of 
the  principles  that  are  involved  and  access  to  a  limited 
amount  of  worship  materials  will  make  it  possible  for 
any  group  of  Sunday  school  workers  to  plan  and  lead  ef- 
fective worship  services. 

The  following  summary  of  the  main  principles  under- 
lying the  building  of  programs  for  worship  services  will 
serve  as  a  guide  for  workers  who  desire  to  lead  their 
schools  in  more  effective  worship: 

1.  Plan  the  worship  service  so  that  its  parts  are  in 
103 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


harmony  with  the  development  of  the  experience  of 
worship  in  the  individual. 

2.  Think  of  the  program  of  the  worship  service  as  a 
means  for  helping  people  to  worship  and  not  as  an  end 
in  itself. 

3.  Plan  each  worship  service  around  a  central  theme. 
That  is,  each  worship  service  should  deal  with  some 
specific  problem  or  need  of  the  people  who  are  to  be  in 
the  service  rather  than  with  general  propositions  that 
mean  little  to  a  local  group. 

4.  Select  all  materials  used  in  the  service  in  harmony 
with  the  central  theme.  Never  "lug"  in  a  song  or  a 
talk  because  some  one  happens  to  be  present  who  can 
sing  a  solo  or  make  an  impromptu  talk. 

5.  Secure  variety  in  the  service  through  wholesome 
contrasts  rather  than  through  the  use  of  sensational 
methods.  It  is  always  wise  to  avoid  the  use  of  the  same 
type  of  material  in  successive  numbers  in  the  worship 
service.  For  example,  a  number  that  calls  for  the  con- 
gregation to  stand  and  engage  heartily  in  the  singing  of  a 
hymn  should  be  followed  by  a  talk,  a  story,  or  quiet 
meditation  while  the  entire  group  remains  seated. 

6.  Organize  for  the  building  of  programs  for  the  wor- 
ship services  just  as  the  school  organizes  for  every  other 
worthy  enterprise. 

And  it  might  be  added  that  it  is  very  Important 
for  the  school  to  begin  at  once.  Delay  is  fatal.  The 
school  that  waits  for  a  convenient  time  to  begin  the 
planning  and  building  of  better  programs  for  worship 
services  will  never  have  them.  A  poor  beginning  is 
better  than  no  beginning.    Let  a  school  begin  with  the 

104 


ORGANIZING  FOR  WORSHIP 


resources  that  are  at  hand;  it  will  soon  discover  that 
others  develop  as  the  need  grows. 

Even  a  superintendent  or  a  teacher  with  all  the  other 
officers  and  teachers  indifferent  to  the  need  of  better 
worship  services  can  make  a  good  beginning  by  planning 
the  worship  services  which  he  has  the  opportunity  of 
leading  so  well  that  the  others  will  sit  up  and  take 
notice.  With  God's  help  a  sincere  and  earnest  Sunday 
school  worker  can  do  anything  that  needs  doing.  The 
need  is  there — in  thousands  of  Sunday  schools — and 
God  is  ever  present  and  ready  to  help.  The  question, 
then,  for  each  Sunday  school  worker  to  face  is,  "Am  I 
willing  to  do  my  part?" 

105 


CHAPTER  IX 

PREPARING  THE  WAY  FOR  BETTER 
WORSHIP  SERVICES 

No  man  thinks  of  reaping  a  harvest  of  cotton  or 
corn  until  he  has  prepared  the  ground  for  the  planting 
of  the  seed.  Sometimes  this  preliminary  preparation 
takes  more  time  and  is  of  greater  importance  than  the 
entire  cultivation  of  the  growing  crop.  The  mere 
preparation  of  programs  for  worship  services  is  not 
enough.  The  school  must  go  behind  these  programs 
and  prepare  the  way  for  them. 

Worship  services  frequently  fail  at  this  very  point. 
We  expect  the  service  because  it  is  held  in  the  "name  of 
the  Lord"  to  be  a  success  no  matter  what  conditions 
exist  In  the  way  of  an  uncomfortable  church  or  lack  of 
training  on  the  part  of  those  who  share  in  the  service. 
But  God  never  does  anything  for  us  that  we  can  do  for 
ourselves.  He  does  not  build  fires  in  our  churches  on 
cold  mornings  or  mend  broken  windowpanes.  His 
children  can  do  those  things  for  themselves  and  are 
made  better  by  the  doing. 

The  tragedy  of  our  failure  to  do  the  things  that  God 
has  intrusted  to  our  hands  lies  In  the  fact  that  our 
neglect  tends  to  close  our  lives  to  the  approach  of  his 
Spirit.  We  cannot  worship  God  effectively  in  a  service 
'  where  we  have  failed  to  make  every  possible  preparation 
for  the  service 

106 


BETTER  WORSHIP  SERVICES 


Preparing  the  House  of  God  for  Better  Worship 
Services 

Foremost  among  the  things  that  the  Sunday  school 
needs  to  consider  in  its  efforts  for  better  worship  services 
is  the  proper  preparation  of  the  house  of  God.  The  idea 
that  we  can  worship  God  anywhere  and  under  any 
circumstances  may  be  true  in  theory,  but  it  does  not 
work  out  very  well  in  practice.  Cold  and  unattractive 
buildings  tend  to  drive  people  away  from  God  rather 
than  inspire  them  to  worship  and  love  him. 

1.  The  church  building  should  be  worshipful  in  ap- 
pearance, both  inside  and  outside.  Some  church  buildings 
are  so  unattractive  in  appearance  or  bo  suggestive  of 
things  other  than  the  work  of  the  Church  that  the 
desire  to  worship  God  is  driven  from  the  mjnds  of  those 
who  approach  their  doors.  Add  to  an  unattractive 
exterior  an  interior  of  soiled  wall  paper,  broken  window- 
panes,  and  unswept  floors,  and  you  have  a  combination 
that  would  seriously  hinder  the  best  prepared  worship 
service  in  the  world. 

A  building  does  not  need  to  be  expensive  in  order  to  be 
attractive.  Some  of  the  most  expensive  church  build- 
ings are  least  suggestive  of  the  worship  of  God.  But  it 
should  have  the  appearance  of  a  church.  Too  many 
church  buildings  are  in  appearance  more  like  a  resi- 
dence, a  schoolhouse,  or  some  other  public  building  than 
they  are  like  a  church. 

A  plain,  one-room  church  may  be  made  to  reveal  its 
true  character  as  a  place  of  worship  by  the  simple  means 
of  straight  roof  lines  and  doors  and  windows  of  proper 

107 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


shape  and  location.  The  addition  of  a  modest  spire 
properly  proportioned  adds  to  the  worship  effect.  As 
has  been  suggested  in  Chapter  VI,  the  use  of  art  glass  in 
^^the  windows  provides  a  constant  and  beautiful  reminder 
of  the  fact  that  the  church  is  a  place  set  aside  from  the 
other  buildings  in  the  community  for  the  purpose  of 
worship. 

In  addition  to  having  a  church  building  that  suggests 
a  place  of  worship  by  its  very  appearance,  it  is  also  im- 
portant that  this  building  shall  be  kept  in  good  repair, 
A  leak  in  the  roof  not  only  damages  the  building,  but 
actually  makes  it  more  difficult  for  people  to  worship  by 
reminding  them  of  stained  wall  paper  and  other  things 
that  are  not  conducive  to  the  practice  of  the  presence  of 
God.  A  broken  windowpane  may  greatly  hinder  the 
worship  of  God  by  making  it  impossible  for  the  janitor 
to  heat  the  church  building  comfortably  on  days  when 
the  weather  is  cold.  Broken  steps  before  the  church 
door  are  not  only  dangerous,  but  every  time  a  man 
stumbles  over  a  loose  board  it  is  just  that  much  more 
difficult  to  lead  him  into  a  worshipful  attitude  of  mind 
and  heart. 

2.  The  church  building  should  he  clean  and  comfortable. 
In  fact,  it  must  be  clean  and  comfortable  if  the  people  are  to 
use  it  as  a  place  where  God  is  worshiped  in  spirit  and  in 
truth.  Cleanliness  is  not  only  next  to  godliness,  but  as 
long  as  soap  and  water  are  easily  available  it  is  necessary 
to  effective  godliness. 

Comfort  in  a  church  building  depends  upon  several 
things.  Since  the  worshipers  are  seated  during  most  of 
the  service,  comfortable  seats  are  of  the  greatest  im- 
■"-^^    108 


BETTER  WORSHIP  SERVICES 


portance.  Straight  pews  of  the  proper  height  securely 
fastened  to  the  floor  provide  the  most  satisfactory  form 
of  seating  equipment  for  the  vast  majority  of  churches. 
They  are  suggestive  of  the  worship  function  of  the 
church  auditorium  and  are  more  durable  than  chairs. 

Since  the  children  are  expected  to  share  in  the  worship 
service  of  the  small  school,  comfortable  seats  should  be 
provided  for  them.  These  seats  should  be  of  such  height 
and  size  as  will  enable  the  children  to  touch  the  floor 
with  their  feet  and  at  the  same  time  rest  their  bodies 
against  the  backs. 

Proper  heat  and  ventilation  are  of  equal  importance 
with  comfortable  seats.  Thousands  of  churches  fail  to 
provide  adequate  facilities  for  heating  the  entire  build- 
ing. A  thirty-six-inch  box  stove,  no  matter  where  it  is 
located,  simply  will  not  heat  a  room  forty  by  sixty  feet 
comfortably  on  a  cold,  windy  day. 

The  best  way  to  handle  this  situation  in  the  one-room 
church  is  to  secure  a  stove  with  a  large  sheet-iron 
jacket  around  the  fire  box  similar  to  the  type  used  in 
rural  school  buildings.  This  type  of  stove  can  be  placed 
in  an  out-of-the-way  corner  of  the  room  and,  if  a  fire 
is  started  an  hour  or  two  before  the  service,  will  heat 
the  entire  room  comfortably  and  evenly.  Local  hard- 
ware merchants  will  gladly  provide  information  about 
the  size  and  cost  of  this  type  of  heating  equipment. 

People  should  never  face  a  bright  light  while  in  a 
worship  service.  It  distracts  their  attention  and  may 
actually  injure  their  eyes.  If  there  are  windows  in  the 
wall  of  the  church  toward  which  the  worshipers  must 

109 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


X 


face,  shades  of  a  color  that  harmonizes  with  the  wall 
paper  should  be  placed  over  them. 

Preparing  the  Members  of  the  School  for  Better 
Worship  Services 

In  addition  to  preparing  the  church  building  for  the 
worship  service,  the  people  themselves  must  be  prepared 
for  participation  in  it.  We  get  the  most  out  of  any 
experience  when  we  are  "ready"  for  it.  By  being 
"ready"  we  mean  that  the  persons  who  are  entering  into 
the  worship  service  should  not  only  really  desire  to 
worship,  but  they  should  be  reasonably  familiar  with 
the  materials  which  are  to  be  used  in  the  service. 

The  training  of  people  in  the  worship  experience  so 
that  they  will  really  want  to  share  in  a  worship  service 
whenever  the  opportunity  affords  is  a  long  and  slow  proc- 
ess. The  best  training /or  worship  is,  of  course,  train- 
ing in  worship.  Every  time  a  person  takes  part  in  a 
helpful  and  wholesome  worship  service,  the  more 
certain  he  is  to  want  to  repeat  the  experience. 

Pastors  and  Sunday  school  teachers  have  a  great  deal 
to  do  with  the  more  or  less  indirect  preparation  of  the 
people  for  participation  in  the  worship  services  of  the 
Sunday  school  and  church.  The  worship  experience  is 
so  effective  in  helping  men  and  women  meet  the  ques- 
tions and  problems  of  life  in  a  Christian  way  that  they 
are  easily  led  into  the  habit  of  daily  worship.  Daily 
worship  is  in  turn  the  best  kind  of  preparation  for  taking 
part  in  the  worship  services  at  the  church  on  Sunday. 

Another  way  of  preparing  people  for  participation  in 
the  worship  service  is  through  the  study  of  worship 

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BETTER  WORSHIP  SERVICES 


materials.  Everybody  knows  that  we  enter  into  the 
singing  of  a  hymn  with  more  zeal  and  enthusiasm  if  we 
are  familiar  with  its  words  and  music.  The  same 
thing  is  true  of  all  the  other  materials  used  in  the  service. 

It  is  important,  therefore,  that  every  school,  no  mat- 
ter how  small,  shall  earnestly  and  persistently  go  about 
the  task  of  teaching  its  members  a  reasonable  amount  of 
worship  material.  This  will  include  the  memorizing  of  a 
few  unison  prayers,  Scripture  responses  for  use  in  con- 
nection with  "calls  to  worship,"  and  a  reasonable 
number  of  hymns. 

The  superintendent  and  the  worship  committee 
should  plan  ahead  so  that  the  class  groups  may  have 
some  opportunity  of  learning  hymns,  prayers,  and  other 
worship  materials  before  the  time  set  for  their  use  in  a 
worship  service.  A  few  moments  at  the  beginning  of  the 
class  session  and  an  occasional  meeting  of  the  group  for 
practice  will  accomplish  wonders  in  preparing  the  school 
to  take  an  active  and  intelligent  part  in  the  service. 

Many  schools  have  found  it  helpful  to  give  the  first 
ten  minutes  of  the  Sunday  school  hour  to  a  fellowship 
period  in  which  the  entire  school  may  prepare  for  the 
worship  service  to  follow.  This  is  an  excellent  time  for 
practicing  songs,  the  reading  of  Scripture  passages,  and 
the  learning  of  other  worship  materials. 

Perhaps  the  best  time  of  all  for  teaching  worship 
materials  to  the  members  of  smaller  schools  is  at  the 
eleven  o'clock  hour  on  Sundays  when  there  is  no  preach- 
ing service.  Again,  a  special  meeting  once  or  twice  a 
month  will  provide  an  opportunity  for  the  school  to 
come  together  for  the  purpose  of  learning  new  hymns 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


and  at  the  same  time  have  wholesome  fellowship  and 
recreation. 

An  occasional  evening  could  be  given  to  the  study  of  a 
Scripture  passage  suitable  for  use  in  a  worship  service  as 
a  responsive  reading.  Take  the  twenty-fourth  Psalm 
for  an  example.  With  some  one  to  describe  the  original 
use  of  this  Psalm  in  the  temple  services,  some  one  else  to 
explain  the  meaning  of  various  verses  and  the  entire 
group  to  spend  some  time  in  reading  it  aloud,  an  entire 
evening  could  be  profitably  given  to  a  study  of  it  alone. 
The  practice  in  reading  along  with  the  clearer  under- 
standing of  the  meaning  and  proper  use  of  this  passage 
would  greatly  improve  its  effectiveness  in  future  worship 
services. 

Many  of  the  great  hymns  of  the  Church  have  beauti- 
ful and  helpful  stories  connected  with  their  writing  and 
use.  These  stories,  along  with  a  study  of  the  meaning 
of  the  words  of  the  hymn  and  the  practice  of  its  music, 
will  help  any  school  to  prepare  for  more  effective  wor- 
ship services.  A  previous  chapter  (Chapter  VI)  suggests 
a  number  of  books  and  other  materials  for  the  use  of  the 
superintendent  and  the  worship  committee  in  teaching 
the  school  to  love  and  appreciate  the  truly  great  hymns 
of  the  Church. 

Reception  of  Members  of  School  and  Visitors  as 
They  Enter  Should  Be  Suggestive 
OF  Worship 

It  has  been  pointed  out  that  the  appearance  of  the 
church  building  and  its  surroundings  have  a  great  deal 
to  do  with  the  effectiveness  of  the  worship  services 

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BETTER  WORSHIP  SERVICES 


which  we  seek  to  carry  on  in  the  church.  Still  another 
important  influence  upon  the  worshipers  is  the  manner 
in  which  they  are  received  on  their  arrival  at  the  church. 
Going  to  church  is  very  much  Hke  visiting  the  house  of  a 
dear  friend :  the  manner  of  reception  by  our  friend  has 
much  to  do  with  our  enjoyment  of  the  visit. 

A  successful  school-teacher  of  many  years'  experience 
once  said  to  a  group  of  young  teachers:  "The  first  day  of 
school  is  the  most  important  of  all  the  days  in  the  school 
year.  And  of  the  first  day,  the  early  minutes  when  the 
boys  and  girls  are  gathering  in  their  classrooms  and 
meeting  the  teacher  for  the  first  time  are  by  far  the 
most  important  of  all  the  minutes  in  the  day.  During 
these  early  minutes  the  pupils  receive  their  first  im- 
pressions of  the  teacher  and  her  work,  and  these  impres- 
sions tend  to  influence  everything  else  that  happens  dur- 
ing the  day." 

The  same  thing  is  true  in  the  Sunday  school.  The 
reception  of  the  members  of  the  school  on  their  arrival 
at  the  church  exerts  a  tremendous  influence  upon  their 
attitudes  toward  the  worship  service  and  the  class  ses- 
sion to  follow.  It  is  much  better  for  the  teacher  to  meet  the 
pupils  as  they  arrive  than  for  the  pupils  to  meet  the  teacher 
as  she  arrives.  This  simple  practice  emphasizes  the 
value  and  importance  of  the  work  of  the  Sunday  school 
far  more  effectively  than  any  number  of  sermons  or 
lectures. 

Give  Everybody  a  Cordial  Welcome 

The  practice  of  providing  two  or  three  ushers  who 
stand  at  the  door  and  not  only  welcome  everybody  with 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


a  smile  and  a  cheery  "Good  morning,"  but  direct  all  to 
their  proper  places,  is  a  good  one.  Visitors  and  new- 
pupils  are  thereby  assured  of  a  friendly  reception,  and 
the  regular  pupils  are  reminded  afresh  every  Sunday 
that  the  Sunday  school  is  a  place  of  dignity  and  order. 

In  the  small  school  the  best  plan  is  for  every  class  to 
have  certain  pews  to  which  its  members  go  immediately 
upon  their  arrival  at  the  church.  The  teacher  should  be 
present  at  the  place  designated  for  her  class  and  receive 
each  pupil  with  a  pleasant  word  and  smile.  In  all 
classes,  except  those  in  which  the  pupils  are  too  young  to 
read,  the  teacher  should  have  a  sufficient  number  of 
hymn  books  for  distribution  to  her  pupils. 

With  the  younger  classes  the  teacher  may  spend  the 
time  leading  up  to  the  beginning  of  the  worship  service  in 
quiet  conversation  about  the  helpful  activities  in  which 
they  have  engaged  during  the  week.  Older  classes 
should  spend  this  preliminary  period  in  reading  and 
study  or  quiet  discussion  of  class  activities. 

What  Should  Be  Done  with  Late  Comers? 

A  class  of  eighteen  Sunday  school  workers  in  a  training 
school  once  described  this  problem  as  their  greatest 
difficulty.  And  it  is  a  hard  problem!  The  instructor  of 
the  class  referred  to  above  had  an  opportunity  to  check 
the  time  of  arrival  at  Sunday  school  of  the  members  of 
the  class.  Only  three  of  the  eighteen  were  on  time. 
The  example  of  the  leader  was  reflected  in  the  habits  of 
the  pupils. 

In  a  word,  the  best  way  to  deal  with  tardy  pupils  is  to 
get  them  to  Sunday  school  on  time.    And  the  best  way 

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BETTER  WORSHIP  SERVICES 


to  get  pupils  to  Sunday  school  on  time  is  for  every 
officer  and  teacher  to  be  in  his  or  her  place  at  least  ten 
minutes  ahead  of  time. 

Once  the  worship  service  has  begun,  as  few  interrup- 
tions as  possible  should  be  allowed.  If  the  church  build- 
ing has  a  vestibule,  the  ushers  should  ask  the  late 
comers  to  remain  there  until  a  suitable  time  for  their 
admission  presents  itself. 

No  one  should  be  admitted  during  prayer,  the  reading 
of  the  Scripture,  or  while  a  speaker  is  making  a  talk  or 
telling  a  story.  About  the  only  time  when  a  late  comer 
may  be  admitted  without  attracting  attention  from  the 
worship  service  is  during  the  singing  of  a  hymn  when 
the  entire  group  is  standing. 

In  churches  without  vestibules  the  ushers  should  seat 
late  comers  in  the  rear  with  just  as  little  disturbance  as 
possible. 

In  addition  to  dealing  with  pupils  who  are  tardy, 
the  Sunday  school  in  the  village  and  open  country 
quite  frequently  faces  another  problem  quite  as  difficult. 
This  is  the  problem  of  dealing  with  the  men  and  boys 
who  remain  outside  the  church  until  about  the  time  for 
the  classes  to  assemble  for  their  work. 

Experience  in  many  schools  indicates  that  this  prob- 
lem, like  all  others,  yields  to  quiet  and  persistent  efforts 
on  the  part  of  a  few  leaders  to  teach  a  better  way  of 
doing  things.  Argument  and  abuse  hinder  rather  than 
help. 

Improving  the  worship  services  will  help  to  make 
every  one  want  to  be  present  from  the  very  beginning. 
Enlistment  for  a  definite  part  in  the  service  of  those 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


who  are  in  the  habit  of  lingering  a  few  minutes  on  the 
outside  will  oftentimes  prove  a  solution  of  the  problem. 
Above  all,  do  not  become  discouraged.  Habits  of 
long  standing  are  not  changed  in  a  day  or  a  week.  But 
they  can  he  changed.  Anything  that  needs  to  be  done  for 
the  upbuilding  of  the  church  and  the  community  can  be 
done  by  loyal  and  earnest  workers  who  steadfastly  set 
their  minds  and  hearts  to  its  accomplishment. 

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CHAPTER  X 
LEADING  THE  WORSHIP  SERVICE 

On  the  top  of  Mount  Mitchell,  in  the  mountains  of 
North  Carolina,  is  buried  the  body  of  a  man  who 
lost  his  life  in  the  scientific  exploration  of  its  rugged 
slopes.  Many  times  Dr.  Mitchell  had  climbed  this 
mountain  in  company  with  a  trusted  guide,  but  on  the 
occasion  of  his  last  visit,  the  guide  failing  to  meet  him 
at  the  appointed  place,  he  set  out  alone.  Several  days 
later  a  searching  party  found  his  body  in  a  deep  ravine 
where  he  had  evidently  fallen  after  having  lost  his  way. 

The  leader  of  the  worship  service  is  a  guide  for  his 
fellow  worshipers.  Without  his  help  they  are  likely  to 
wander  here  and  there;  singing  a  few  songs,  reading  a 
Scripture  lesson  or  two,  and  calling  upon  somebody  to 
lead  a  prayer,  but  not  really  worshiping. 

The  Leader's  Preparation 
The  best  preparation  for  leadership  in  worship  is 
acutal  experience  in  worship.  We  know  most  about 
those  things  which  we  have  actually  experienced  in  our 
own  lives.  We  are  therefore  most  effectire  in  helping 
others  into  a  definite  experience  of  worship  when  we 
have  recently  entered  into  and  shared  that  experience 
in  our  own  hearts. 

The  leader  of  worship  may  seek  this  preparation  of 
himself  both  in  private  and  in  the  public  service.  A  few 
moments  of  quiet  meditation  and  prayer  in  which  one 
earnestly  seeks  to  open  his  heart  and  life  to  the  presence 
of  God's  Spirit  is  always  helpful.  The  theme  of  the 
service  which  one  is  to  lead,  or  the  Scripture  lesson  to 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


be  used,  may  well  serve  as  the  basis  of  this  meditation. 
More  than  one  leader  of  worship  has  found  a  quiet 
visit  alone  to  the  church  auditorium  very  helpful  in 
creating  and  developing  a  worshipful  attitude  in  his 
own  heart.  There,  in  the  quiet  of  God's  house,  it  is 
easy  to  turn  one's  thoughts  toward  him  who  is  at  the 
very  heart  of  the  service  that  we  plan  in  his  name. 

The  public  service  offers  an  opportunity  for  the 
prospective  leader  of  worship  to  share  in  the  worship 
experience.  In  addition,  it  gives  a  splendid  opportunity 
for  observing  the  leadership  of  another  and  perhaps 
more  experienced  person  as  he  conducts  the  service. 

The  wise  leader  of  worship  will  also  seek  to  prepare 
himself  in  a  general  way  for  more  effective  leadership. 
That  is,  he  will  be  on  the  lookout  for  books,  magazine 
articles,  and  other  materials  that  will  help  him  to  under- 
stand better  the  experience  and  practice  of  worship. 
In  addition,  he  will  be  constantly  looking  for  better 
worship  materials.  A  story,  a  song,  or  some  other  bit  of 
material  may  suggest  the  idea  that  will  provide  the 
basis  of  a  worship  service  sometime  in  the  future. 
These  suggestions  and  ideas  should,  of  course,  be  jotted 
down  in  a  convenient  notebook  for  future  reference. 

Specific  Preparation  by  the  Leader. — The  general 
preparation  of  the  leader  of  worship,  referred  to  above, 
is  a  slow  process  that  goes  on  day  by  day  and  year  by 
year  in  the  lives  of  all  earnest  Sunday  school  workers 
who  desire  to  make  themselves  more  useful  in  building 
the  kingdom  of  God.  For  the  immediate  task  of 
leading  a  worship  service  next  Sunday  morning  there  is 
certain  specific  preparation  that  should  be  made. 

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LEADING  THE  WORSHIP  SERVICE 


1.  Carefully  select  all  hymns,  Scripture  passages, 
stories,  prayers,  and  other  materials  to  be  used  in  the 
service.  In  selecting  these  materials  confer  with  the 
chairman  of  the  Worship  Committee  or,  where  there  is 
no  committee,  with  the  superintendent  of  the  school.  It 
will  also  be  wise  to  consult  with  the  leader  of  music  and 
the  pianist  in  order  that  there  may  be  no  confusion  or 
misunderstanding  about  the  music  to  be  used. 

2.  Assign  parts  to  those  who  are  to  assist  in  the 
leadership  of  the  service.  It  is  very  important  that 
these  assignments  be  given  out  at  least  one  week 
ahead  of  the  time  for  the  service.  The  leader  should 
also  take  a  few  moments  to  tell  each  person  who  is  to 
help  in  the  service  something  of  the  general  nature  of 
the  worship  program.  That  is,  each  participant  should 
not  only  know  what  is  expected  of  him,  but  something 
of  the  contributions  being  made  by  others.  This  will 
help  each  one  to  fit  himself  and  his  part  into  the  spirit 
of  the  entire  service  and  prevent  duplications. 

In  making  assignments  to  his  helpers,  the  leader 
should  tell  each  one  exactly  how  much  time  will  be 
available  for  his  part  in  the  service.  A  worship  service 
in  the  small  Sunday  school  is  usually  limited  to  fifteen 
minutes,  and  it  is  very  easy  for  one  person  to  destroy  its 
effectiveness  by  taking  more  than  his  share  of  the  time. 
Of  course  it  is  only  the  persons  who  are  making  talks, 
telling  stories,  or  leading  the  prayer  who  will  need 
reminding  at  this  point.  The  leader  can  easily  estimate 
the  time  necessary  for  each  hymn,  Scripture  passage, 
and  other  materials  that  are  fixed  in  length. 

3.  Be  sure  that  the  room  is  comfortably  heated  and 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


well  ventilated.  Of  course,  the  school  should  have  a 
janitor  to  look  after  such  items  as  this,  but  it  is  well  for 
the  leader  to  see  that  he  has  not  failed  in  his  duty. 

4.  Arrange  songbooks  and  other  worship  materials  so 
that  they  may  be  used  with  the  least  possible  confusion. 
The  method  of  distributing  songbooks  is  very  important. 
Where  the  pupils  sit  in  class  groups  with  their  teachers, 
it  is  perhaps  best  to  place  on  the  pew  near  the  teacher  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  books  to  supply  the  class  and 
instruct  her  to  supply  the  pupils  just  as  the  service 
begins. 

In  schools  where  no  effort  is  made  to  group  the  pupils 
by  classes  it  is  better  to  take  a  moment  before  the 
beginning  of  the  service  for  the  distribution  of  song- 
books. If  the  ushers  have  been  instructed  ahead  of 
time  to  have  everything  in  readiness,  this  will  take  no 
more  than  a  minute  or  two. 

5.  Call  those  who  are  to  assist  in  the  leadership  of  the 
service  together  for  a  few  minutes  before  the  service 
begins  for  final  directions  and  a  brief  word  of  prayer. 
Be  sure  that  each  person  understands  just  what  is 
expected  of  him.  In  the  one-room  church  this  meeting 
will  necessarily  be  held  in  the  presence  of  the  pupils 
who  have  arrived  early,  and  for  that  reason  should  be 
brief  and  as  quiet  as  possible.  The  prayer  may  well 
be  a  silent  petition  for  guidance  in  the  service  offered 
while  the  members  of  the  group  bow  their  heads. 

Leading  the  Service 

The  leader  has  more  to  do  with  the  success  or  failure 
of  the  worship  service  than  any  other  person  connected 

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LEADING  THE  WORSHIP  SERVICE 


with  it.  His  every  word — indeed,  his  every  act — adds 
to  or  detracts  from  the  effectiveness  of  the  service. 
Who  has  not  observed  the  effect  of  the  minister's 
every  act  in  the  pulpit  as  he  leads  the  waiting  congrega- 
tion in  the  morning  service  of  worship?  If  he  whispers 
with  a  fellow  minister  about  the  size  of  the  congregation 
or  calls  the  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Stewards  to  the 
platform  for  a  hurried  conference,  or  does  any  one  of  a 
hundred  other  little  things  that  indicate  his  lack  of 
actual  participation  in  the  service,  the  congregation  is 
sure  to  follow  his  example  and  fall  far  short  of  taking  the 
part  in  the  service  that  effective  worship  demands. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  leader,  by  the  quiet  and 
dignified  manner  in  which  he  plays  his  part,  may 
encourage  the  congregation  to  share  with  him  in  every 
part  of  the  worship  service  and  thereby  lead  them  into 
the  very  presence  of  God. 

Every  leader  of  worship  can  well  afford  to  make  the 
following  prayer  his  own  as  he  walks  into  the  church  on 
the  morning  that  he  is  to  lead  the  worship  service  of  the 
Sunday  school : 

O  thou,  whosoever  thou  art 

That  enterest  this  house, 

Be  silent,  be  thoughtful,  be  reverent, 

For  this  is  the  house  of  God; 

And  leave  it  not  without  a  prayer  to  God 

For  thyself,  for  those  who  minister, 

And  for  those  who  worship  here.    Amen. 

The  feeling  of  reverence  that  fills  his  own  heart  cannot 
but  have  its  influence  upon  the  words  that  fall  from  his 
lips  and  in  turn  upon  those  who  await  his  leadership. 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


While  no  hard  and  fast  rules  can  be  laid  down  for 
guidance  in  the  actual  leadership  of  the  service,  the 
following  suggestions  may  prove  of  some  help: 

1.  The  leader  should  begin  the  service  exactly  on  time. 
y 'Nothing  detracts  from  the  effectiveness  of  the  worship 
service  quite  so  much  as  failure  to  begin  promptly  at  the 
minute  set  for  the  opening  of  the  service. 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  a  confession  of  failure  not  to 
have  everything  in  readiness.  And  since  the  leader 
must  bear  a  large  share  of  the  blame  for  this  failure,  his 
leadership  of  the  service  suffers  as  a  result. 

In  the  second  place,  failure  to  begin  promptly  makes 
it  impossible  to  give  each  part  of  the  worship  service 
the  time  that  was  originally  planned  for  it.  This  throws 
everything  out  of  order  and  seriously  affects  the  spirit 
of  the  service. 

Still  another  reason  for  beginning  on  time  is  the  fact 
that  it  encourages  the  entire  school  in  the  practice  of  the 
Christian  habit  of  promptness.  Pupils  are  quick  to 
respond  to  the  actual  situation  in  which  they  find  them- 
selves, and  the  school  that  makes  a  practice  of  beginning 
its  worship  services  promptly  has  little  trouble  with 
tardiness. 

2.  The  leader  should  he  reverent  in  every  word  and  act. 
It  is  not  enough  for  the  leader  to  refrain  from  saying  and 
doing  those  things  that  will  attract  attention  from  the 
spirit  and  purpose  of  the  service;  he  should  be  positively 
and  sincerely  reverent  in  all  that  he  does.  People 
quickly  detect  any  lack  of  sincerity  on  the  part  of  the 
leader  and  respond  to  his  every  mood. 

Some  people  feel  that  there  is  no  need  for  the  leader 

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LEADING  THE  WORSHIP  SERVICE 


and  his  helpers  to  practice  their  parts.  This  is  a  mis- 
taken idea.  The  person  who  is  to  read  the  Scripture 
lesson,  for  example,  should  read  the  passage  over  aloud 
a  number  of  times.  He  should  practice  reading  slowly 
and  distinctly  in  a  tone  of  voice  that  is  reverent  but  not 
affected. 

Even  the  person  who  is  to  lead  in  prayer  should  take 
the  time  to  organize  and  think  through  the  main 
thoughts  in  his  prayer.  In  fact,  the  person  who  has  had 
little  or  no  experience  leading  public  prayer  may  find 
it  very  helpful  to  write  out  a  prayer  in  full  and  memo- 
rize it.  At  any  rate,  we  should  remember  that  God 
leads  and  blesses  us  just  as  surely  in  the  preparation  of  a 
public  prayer  as  in  any  other  thing  that  we  might  do 
for  him  and  in  his  name. 

The  brief  preliminary  meeting  of  the  leader  and  his 
helpers  referred  to  earlier  in  the  chapter  is  one  of  the 
best  possible  ways  of  insuring  a  reverent  attitude  on  the 
part  of  those  who  lead  the  service.  A  moment  of  silent 
prayer  helps  wonderfully  in  bringing  about  the  realiza- 
tion that  we  are  in  the  presence  of  God. 

3.  The  leader  should  keep  the  service  moving  steadily. 
Delay  for  any  reason  is  usually  fatal  to  the  effectiveness 
of  the  service.  As  soon  as  one  number  is  finished  the 
next  one  should  begin  immediately. 

This  suggestion  does  not  mean  that  somebody  must 
be  saying  something  every  minute  of  the  service.  Quite 
the  contrary  is  true.  A  period  of  silence  now  and  then 
in  the  worship  service  may  be  very  helpful.  Silent 
prayer  is  especially  meaningful.  But  there  is  a  vast 
difference  between  a  period  of  silence  in  which  the 

123 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


worshipers  are  asked  to  do  something  (meditate,  pray, 
read  a  hymn  or  Scripture  passage)  and  an  interval  in 
which  there  is  silence  because  the  leader  does  not  know 
what  to  do  next. 

4.  The  leader  should  make  as  few  announcements  as 
possible.  Announcements  that  are  not  connected  with 
the  worship  program  should  be  made  before  the  service 
begins.    However,  the  worship  service  itself  will  require 

/  certain  explanations  and  announcements  in  order  that 
everybody  may  participate  intelligently.  The  wise 
leader  will  make  them  in  as  few  words  as  possible  and  in 
a  quiet  tone  of  voice  that  does  not  attract  attention  to 
himself  and,  therefore,  away  from  the  spirit  of  the 
service. 

Quite  frequently  it  will  be  possible  to  find  some  one  in 
the  community  who  owns  some  type  of  duplicating 
machine  such  as  a  mimeograph.  In  this  case,  copies  of 
the  main  outline  of  the  service  can  be  provided  for  all 
and  thereby  do  away  with  the  necessity  of  explanations 
and  announcements. 

5.  The  leader  should  guard  against  talking  too  much 
himself.     The  temptation   to   "add   a  few  words"   is 

/  especially  strong  with  the  person  who  has  had  a  great 
deal  of  experience  in  public  meetings.  And  the  in- 
experienced leader  may  fall  into  the  habit  of  introducing 
each  person  with  some  complimentary  remark,  such  as: 
**We  are  highly  complimented  this  morning  in  having 
the  honor  of  listening  to  a  solo  by  Mrs.  Blank."  To 
realize  how  unnecessary  these  remarks  are  in  connection 
with  a  worship  service,  one  has  but  to  think  of  intro- 

124 


LEADING  THE  WORSHIP  SERVICE 


ducing  the  person  who  is  to  lead  the  prayer  in  a  similar 
fashion. 

Of  course,  the  leader  should  feel  free  to  speak  when 
there  is  need  for  it.  As  a  general  rule,  any  remarks  that 
he  may  have,  other  than  directions  concerning  the 
service,  will  best  come  near  the  close  of  the  service. 
And  even  then,  they  should  be  an  actual  part  of  the 
service  and  not  something  "tacked  on"  to  an  otherwise 
complete  program. 

6.  The  leader  should  quit  when  through.  In  a  well- 
planned  worship  service  a  prayer  or  hymn  of  dedication 
follows  immediately  after  the  "talk"  or  story.  This 
prayer  or  hymn  marks  the  climax  of  the  service,  and  no 
effort  should  be  made  to  add  anything  after  it  is  over. 
The  school  should  learn  to  go  to  its  class  work  im- 
mediately. 

It  is  better  to  stop  a  minute  short  of  the  time  set  for 
the  close  of  the  service  than  to  run  a  minute  over  time. 
Teachers  and  pupils  alike  will  appreciate  the  prompt 
closing  of  the  worship  service  so  that  they  may  begin 
their  class  work  in  a  regular  and  systematic  manner. 

At  the  heart  of  all  these  suggestions  about  the  leading 
of  worship  services  is  the  spirit  and  attitude  of  the  leader 
toward  the  whole  matter  of  worship.  Nothing  is  more 
important  in  the  leadership  of  successful  worship 
services  than  first-hand  knowledge  of  the  joy,  the  pain, 
and  the  satisfaction  that  comes  in  Christian  worship. 
No  leader  will  think  of  these  suggestions  as  anything 
more  than  guideposts  along  the  road.  The  vital  reality 
of  the  worship  experience  is  found,  and  can  be  found 
only,  by  sharing  in  it — not  by  reading  about  it. 

125 


CHAPTER  XI 

GROUP   WORSHIP    IN    THE   SMALL   SUNDAY 
SCHOOL 

The  worship  service  in  which  all  the  pupils  meet  to- 
gether at  the  opening  of  the  Sunday  school  hour  does  not 
provide  fully  for  all  worship  needs.  At  best,  this 
general  worship  service  provides  very  little  oppor- 
tunity for  the  Beginners,  the  Primaries,  and  the  Juniors 
to  sing  the  songs,  take  part  in  the  prayers,  and  hear  the 
stories  and  talks  that  are  suited  to  their  needs.  It  is 
y  almost  always  a  service /or  and  hy  adults. 

Even  in  those  schools  that  try  to  give  the  children  a 
real  part  in  the  opening  worship  service  there  is  danger 
that  their  contribution  will  be  regarded  by  the  adults  as 
a  sort  of  entertainment  feature.  If  the  Beginners,  for 
example,  are  asked  to  sing  one  of  their  songs  and 
everybody  claps  when  they  are  through,  these  children 
tend  to  become  self-conscious  and  to  think  of  the  wor- 
ship service  as  a  period  of  entertainment  rather  than  a 
time  for  getting  better  acquainted  with  the  heavenly 
Father. 

In  addition  to  the  worship  service  at  the  beginning  of 
the  Sunday  school  hour  the  small  school  should  encour- 
age each  teacher  to  plan  for  brief  moments  of  worship 
during  the  class  period. 

"That  is  impossible  in  a  one-room  church,"  ex- 
claimed a  teacher  of  Beginner-Primary  children  when 
this  suggestion  was  made  in  a  meeting  of  the  Workers* 

126 


GROUP  WORSHIP 


Council.     "It  would  disturb  the  other  classes  for  my 
children  to  start  singing." 

This  good  teacher  had  seemingly  never  realized  that 
It  is  possible  to  have  real  worship  without  the  singing  of 
a  song;  or  that  the  singing,  if  it  is  done  softly,  will 
disturb  the  other  classes  no  more  than  the  ordinary 
conversation  of  the  teacher  and  pupils. 

While  the  remaining  pages  of  this  chapter  are  given 
over  to  suggestions  for  helping  teachers  in  one-room 
schools  provide  additional  worship  opportunities  for 
the  pupils  in  their  classes,  we  must  not  forget  that  every 
Church  that  possibly  can  do  so  is  under  obligation  to 
provide  the  opportunity  for  each  age  group  to  worship 
apart  from  the  others.  This  does  not  mean  that  a 
separate  room  must  be  provided  for  the  Beginners, 
another  for  the  Primaries,  still  another  for  the  Juniors, 
and  so  on  up  to  the  Adults — combinations  can  and 
should  be  made  in  small  schools.  For  example,  in  the 
school  with  a  limited  number  of  pupils  it  is  best  to 
combine  Beginners  with  Primaries,  and  the  Inter- 
mediates with  Seniors  and  Young  People. 

In  rebuilding  or  remodeling  their  church  building 
Sunday  schools  that  are  now  meeting  in  one-room 
buildings  should  plan  to  add  at  least  three  rooms  to  the 
auditorium.  This  arrangement  will  provide  the  physical 
plant  for  the  following  effective  plan  of  organizing  the 
worship,  study,  and  other  activities  of  the  school : 

One  room  in  which  the  Beginner-Primaries  (ages  4-8) 
will  have  their  own  worship  and  class  sessions. 

One  room  in  which  the  Juniors  (ages  9-12)  will  have 
their  worship  and  class  activities. 

127 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


One  room  in  which  the  entire  group  of  older  boys  and 
girls  (ages  13-18  or  20)  will  have  not  only  their  worship 
services  and  class  work,  but  which  will  be  used  as  a 
place  for  week-time  social  meetings  and  recreational 
activities. 

The  church  auditorium  in  which  the  adult  class  or 
classes  will  meet  for  worship  and  study. 

While  waiting  for  the  time  when  it  will  be  possible  for 
them  to  rebuild  their  church,  and  thereby  provide  the 
rooms  necessary  for  departmental  worship,  many 
schools  are  finding  it  possible  to  increase  greatly  the 
effectiveness  of  their  present  worship  services  by  finding 
a  place  for  at  least  one  group  in  a  near-by  residence.  In 
the  event  that  a  place  can  be  found  outside  the  church 
for  only  one  group,  it  seems  best  to  provide  first  for  the 
younger  pupils  (Beginner-Primaries). 

Among  the  many  books  that  are  available  for  leaders 
of  worship  in  schools  where  each  age  group  has  its  own 
worship  service  the  following  have  been  found  the  most 
helpful ;! 

For  workers  with  Beginners  (4-  and  5 -year-old 
children);  "The  Worship  of  the  Little  Child,"  by 
Edna  Dean  Baker. 

For  workers  with  Primaries  (6-,  7-,  and  8-year-old 
children):  "Worship  Training  for  Primary  Children,'* 
by  Clara  Beers  Blashfield. 

For  workers  with  Juniors  (9-,  10-,  and  11-year-old 
children):  "Training  Juniors  in  Worship,"  by  Mary 
Alice  Jones. 

^  Prices  and  directions  for  securing  these  books  will  be  found 
in  the  Appendix. 

128 


GROUP  WORSHIP 


For  workers  with  Young  People:  "Training  Young 
People  in  Worship,"  by  Shaver  and  Stock. 

Suggestions  for  Helping  Teachers  Make  Use 

OF  Opportunities  for  Worship  During 

THE  Class  Sessions 

Certain  fundamental  principles  must  be  kept  in  mind 
by  all  teachers  who  would  succeed  in  helping  their 
pupils  make  the  experience  of  worship  a  vital  part  of  the 
class  session 

First,  the  materials  of  worship — prayer^  music.  Scrip- 
ture,  stories  y  pictures — are  also  the  materials  of  teaching 
in  the  regular  class  session.  Practically  all  teachers  use 
stories,  pictures,  and  Scripture  passages  at  one  time  or 
another  in  their  teaching.  It  is  the  way  in  which  this 
material  is  used  that  determines  its  value  in  helping  the 
pupils  to  worship  during  the  class  period. 

A  simple  illustration  will  make  this  principle  plain.  A 
teacher  of  a  Beginner-Primary  class  in  a  one-room 
church  was  using  the  picture  of  a  little  boy  pouring 
water  into  his  toy  watering  can  so  that  he  could  give 
the  thirsty  flowers  a  drink,  as  the  basis  of  a  lesson  on 
"Helping  Others."  In  answer  to  her  questiorts,  the 
children  pointed  out  that  the  little  boy  was  not  only 
helping  his  mother  by  watering  the  flowers,  but  he  was 
helping  the  heavenly  Father  as  well.  The  children 
eagerly  suggested  other  ways  of  helping  the  heavenly 
Father,  and  in  the  closing  moments  of  the  class  period 
the  teacher  suggested  that  they  bow  their  heads  and 
sing  softly: 

129 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


F^^ 


a^zE 


3=t 


--#- 


5=T 


:t=:?=r 


is 


1.  My  heav'niy  Father  wants  me  To  help  Him  ev-'ry  day, 

2.  I    wa-ter  thirst-  y  flow  -  ers,   I    feed  His  bird-ies,  too, 

Rrpeatflrst  verse 


W 


I    I    I    r 


'^ 


\-\   I      I     1-4- 


^:. 


And  so  I  try  to  help  Him  In  all  my  work  and  play, 
And  what  my  mother  tells  me  I     try  my  best  to  dor2 

No  one  was  disturbed  by  the  quiet  singing  of  this 
song,  and  it  helped  these  children  to  enter  into  an  experi- 
ence of  fellowship  with  God  that  is  the  most  helpful 
sort  of  worship.  As  a  result,  God  will  be  more  real  to 
them  in  the  daily  tasks  about  the  home. 

One  other  illustration.  A  class  of  young  people 
were  discussing  the  question,  "Should  a  Christian 
young  man  or  woman  follow  the  '  crowd '  in  selecting  his 
or  her  amusements?"  The  group  was  pretty  evenly 
divided,  and  the  teacher  was  about  to  dismiss  them 
without  arriving  at  any  definite  conclusion  in  the  matter 
when  one  quiet  fellow  suggested:  "Since  we  are  trying 
to  be  followers  of  Jesus,  suppose  we  ask  his  guidance 
before  we  go.'* 

A  moment  of  silent  prayer  followed,  and  the  teacher 
quietly  pronounced  the  benediction.  As  the  class 
moved  toward  the  door,  one  of  the  young  men  who 
had  argued  for  "following  the  crowd"  said  to  his 
companion:  "I   had  never  thought  of  it  before,  but 


2  Words  and  music  by  Elizabeth  Jenkins. 
of  the  Methodist  Book  Crncern. 

130 


Used  by  permission 


GROUP  WORSHIP 


Jesus  didn't  follow  the  crowd.    And  by  his  help  /  will 
not  follow  it  either.'' 

The  experience  of  this  young  man  suggests  another 
principle  that  every  teacher  should  keep  in  mind. 
Worship  is  in  itself  a  practical  means  of  solving  the 
difficulties  and  problems  of  life.  In  that  brief  moment 
of  worship  he  had  come  face  to  face  with  Jesus  Christ. 
In  helping  him  decide  what  was  right,  it  was  worth 
more  than  all  the  argument  that  had  gone  before. 

The  use  of  worship  as  a  means  of  solving  the  problems 
of  life  is  especially  helpful  with  young  people  and  adults. 
In  class  discussions,  there  is  a  temptation  to  win  our 
point  in  the  argument,  no  matter  what  the  truth  may 
be:  so  it  is  quite  often  helpful  for  the  teacher  to  call  for 
a  few  moments  of  silent  meditation  before  the  class  is 
dismissed.  In  fact,  the  spirit  of  fellowship  in  the  group 
should  be  so  developed  that  any  member  of  the  class 
will  feel  perfectly  free  to  call  at  any  time  for  a  word  of 
prayer  or  a  period  of  silent  meditation  in  which  all  will 
undertake  to  open  their  hearts  and  lives  to  the  leader- 
ship of  God. 

The  third  principle  to  keep  in  mind  is  more  in  the 
nature  of  a  friendly  warning.  Do  not  try  to  force  the 
worship  experience  into  the  class  session.  Nothing 
kills  the  spirit  of  worship  quite  so  quickly  and  effectively 
as  trying  to  compel  people  to  pray.  The  teacher  should 
not  feel  for  a  moment  that  there  should  be  a  season  of 
worship  in  every  class  session.  In  all  probability,  there 
will  be  many  sessions  during  the  year  when  the  teacher 
and  the  pupils  will  feel  no  particular  need  for  worship 
in  the  class  group.    The  practice  of  always  beginning  or 

131 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


closing  the  class  session  with  prayer  is  not  to  be  com- 
mended for  this  very  reason.  It  becomes  a  mere  for- 
mality that  soon  loses  its  meaning. 

Teachers  of  children  under  twelve  years  of  age  are 
especially  fortunate  in  the  abundance  of  worship 
materials  supplied  through  the  teacher's  magazines  of 
their  denomination.^  This  material  is  interwoven 
with  suggestions  for  teaching  the  lesson  and  making 
the  entire  program  of  the  elementary  classes  and  depart- 
ment interesting  and  helpful. 

The  smallest  school  can  use  this  material  to  good 
advantage.  As  an  illustration  of  the  practical  sugges- 
tions that  are  given  for  the  teacher's  guidance  in 
making  worship  a  vital  part  of  teaching,  the  following 
material  for  use  during  the  class  session  is  taken  from 
the  lesson  on  "God's  Care  for  Birds  and  Beasts." 

For  Use  by  the  Teacher  During  the  Class  Session 

1.  Beginning  the  Lesson.  How  does  God  care  for  the  birds 
and  animals?  Can  you  help  God  take  care  of  some  of  his  small 
creatures?  What  kind  of  homes  do  birds  have?  Are  they  all 
alike?  How  do  some  of  the  animals  get  ready  for  winter?  How 
many  different  kinds  of  homes  of  birds  and  animals  have  you 
seen?  God  helps  everybody  to  know  how  to  make  a  home.  It 
seems  that  every  one  likes  his  own  home  best.  It  is  the  nicest 
place  to  be,  isn't  it?  Would  you  like  to  hear  a  story  about 
homes  of  different  animals? 

2.  The  Story.  (This  story  or  one  of  the  teacher's  own  may 
be  used.) 

^  Workers  in  Sunday  schools  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  will  find  the  Elementary  Teacher  especially 
helpful. 

132 


GROUP  WORSHIP 


One  day  a  little  fish  was  darting  about  in  the  sparkling 
water. 

"O,  haven't  I  the  nicest  home  in  all  the  world?"  he  cried. 
"The  water  is  so  fresh  and  clear.  No  one  has  a  home  as 
lovely  as  mine!" 

"What  an  idea!"  laughed  a  small  bird  who  sat  on  the  limb 
of  a  tree  just  above  the  brook.  "My  home  is  much  nicer 
than  yours.  I  was  born  and  raised  in  a  nest,  swaying,  sway- 
ing at  the  very  top  of  a  tall  tree.  And  you,  poor  little  fish, 
can  only  swim.  You  can  never  fly  up  into  the  blue  sky. 
Look!  Don't  you  wish  you  could  do  this?"  And  the  bird 
spread  its  wings  and  soared  up  toward  the  heavens  and  back 
again. 

A  rabbit  who  lived  in  a  burrow  beneath  the  ground  at  the 
foot  of  the  tree  laughed  quietly  to  himself. 

"You  do  not  know  what  a  snug  home  I  have  down  here," 
he  said.  "Cold  water  and  wabbly  tree  tops  indeed!  Give 
me  my  safe  little  cave  all  warm  and  cozy!" 

"I  live  by  the  edge  of  the  brook!"  croaked  a  green  frog 
close  at  hand.  "It's  so  nice  here  in  the  tall  wet  grasses. 
And  when  the  cold  winds  begin  to  blow  I  just  jump  in  the 
brook  and  bury  myself  in  the  mud  at  the  bottom.  I  never 
feel  the  chill  there  while  I  sleep  soundly  all  winter." 

"I  don't  like  the  idea  of  sleeping  so  long  at  all,"  declared 
a  brightly  colored  bird  who  had  just  joined  the  group.  "I 
fly  south  in  the  winter.  Now,  my  little  friend  here  stays 
with  you  all  the  year,"  and  he  turned  to  the  bird  who  had 
spoken  first.  "I  should  not  like  such  a  cold  home  In  winter." 

"O,  it's  not  bad,"  replied  the  first  little  bird  cheerfully. 
"The  pine  trees  give  me  shelter,  and  children  often  scatter 
crumbs  for  me.  I  rather  like  It — much  better  than  I  should 
the  long  trip  across  the  ocean  which  you  take." 

"None  of  these  plans  would  suit  me,"  spoke  up  a  sheep 
who  was  eating  grass  in  the  meadow.  "  I  should  not  like  to 
live  in  the  air  or  the  water  or  under  the  ground,  or  fly  south, 
or  eat  crumbs.  The  thing  to  do  Is  to  stay  in  the  pasture  all 
day  and  have  a  kind  master  who  puts  you  in  the  sheepfold 
133 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


at  night  or  when  the  weather  is  very  bad  and  who  feeds  you 
hay  when  the  grass  is  gone." 

"All  right,  except  that  you  should  have  said  'puts  you  in 
the  stable,'"  neighed  a  horse. 

"No,  'gives  you  bones  and  lets  you  sleep  on  the  back 
porch,'"  barked  a  dog. 

"The  great  forest  is  the  only  place  to  live,"  growled  a 
fierce  voice,  and  a  gray  wolf  stood  looking  at  them  all.  "The 
best  thing  is  to  find  some  rocky  cave  in  a  hillsiae  with  trees 
all  around  and  never  bother  with  masters  to  shut  one  up  or 
feed  one." 

And  just  then  the  smallest  bird,  soaring  up  into  the  sky, 
broke  into  song. 

"God  is  good!"  sang  the  little  bird.  "God  gives  to  every 
living  thing  the  home  that  suits  it  best!'"* 

3.  After  the  Story.  Our  Father  cares  for  all  things  he  has 
made  and  helps  them  to  live.  Would  you  like  to  thank  him  for 
his  care?  Prayer :  Our  Father,  we  thank  Thee  for  Thy  care  of  us. 
We  thank  Thee  for  the  birds  and  animals.  Help  us  to  remember 
to  help  Thee  take  care  of  them.    Amen. 

Young  People  and  the  Worship  Services  of  the 
Small  School 

Suggestions  have  been  made  for  encouraging  the 
teacher  of  the  Young  People's  class  to  provide  brief 
periods  of  worship  during  the  regular  class  sessions. 
We  want  to  go  further  now  and  suggest  that  in  the 
school  where  all  age  groups  worship  together  the  Young 
People's  class  should  be  given  the  opportunity  to  pre- 
pare and  lead  at  least  one-fourth  of  the  worship  services 
of  the  school  as  a  whole. 

The  main  reason  for  this  suggestion  is  the  fact  that 

^  Helen  Dean  White,  in  the  Elementary  Teacher.  Used  by 
permission. 

134 


GROUP  WORSHIP 


we  learn  best  through  having  a  part  in  the  thing  to  be 
learned.  After  all,  our  task  in  the  Sunday  school  is  not 
so  much  that  of  providing  worship  services  for  others 
as  it  is  that  of  leading  others  to  worship  for  themselves. 
This  is  especially  true  of  our  relationship  with  young 
people.  Real  worship  must  be  purposeful ;  it  cannot  be 
an  experience  into  which  we  merely  drift.  The  surest 
way,  therefore,  to  teach  young  people  to  worship  is  to 
provide  them  with  the  opportunity  and  guide  them  in 
building  and  leading  programs  of  worship. 

This  opportunity  must  be  something  more  than  an 
announcement  that  the  Young  People's  class  will  have 
charge  of  the  worship  service  one  Sunday  in  each 
month.  A  good  brother  who  was  a  steward  in  an  open- 
country  church  objected  to  the  appointment  of  two 
young  men  on  the  Board  of  Stewards  on  the  ground 
that  **you  could  not  depend  upon  young  people  for 
anything."  A  few  questions  brought  out  the  fact  that 
two  or  three  years  before  a  young  man  had  been 
elected  steward  in  that  Church  and  had  given  up  in 
despair  when  he  discovered  that  the  older  stewards  had 
assigned  him  to  the  task  of  collecting  the  pastor's 
salary  from  all  the  old  "tightwads"  in  the  community 
who  were  never  known  to  contribute  to  any  worthy 
cause. 

The  wise  Sunday  school  superintendent  and  pastor 
will  plan  to  enlist  the  help  of  their  young  people  rather 
gradually  and  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  them  abun- 
dant opportunity  for  "trying  out"  their  own  resources. 
A  good  way  to  begin  is  to  start  a  discussion  in  the 
Young  People's  class  about  the  worship  services  and 

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WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


methods  of  improving  them.  This  discussion  should 
result  in  one  or  two  members  of  the  class  being  placed 
upon  the  school  worship  committee. 

At  first,  the  contribution  of  the  young  people  to  the 
service  will  probably  be  nothing  more  than  taking 
some  specific  part,  such  as  a  Scripture  reading,  special 
music,  or  story  under  the  direction  of  an  adult  leader. 
But  as  various  members  of  the  group  gain  experience, 
the  opportunities  for  leadership  should  be  increased 
until  the  Young  People's  group  is  responsible  for  at  least 
one-fourth  of  the  regular  worship  services. 

In  some  schools  the  young  people  will  assume  re- 
sponsibility for  one  service  each  month.  In  other 
schools  the  practice  of  planning  a  series  of  services 
around  some  great  theme,  such  as  "  Loyalty  "  or  "  Broth- 
erly Love,"  will  provide  the  young  people  with  an 
opportunity  to  build  a  series  of  programs  in  a  con- 
structive way. 

Suggestive   List   of  Songs   for   Use    with    Each 
Age  Group 

This  list  of  songs,  while  not  presuming  to  be  com- 
plete, is  submitted  for  the  guidance  of  Sunday  school 
workers  who  sincerely  desire  that  boys  and  girls  in  their 
school  shall  have  the  opportunity  of  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  the  songs  that  best  express  their  worship 
needs. 

Beginners  and  Primaries 

"Thank  You,  Father." 
"This  Is  God's  House." 
"  Can  a  Little  Child  Like  Me?" 
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GROUP  WORSHIP 


"We  Give  Thee  But  Thine  Own," 

"This  Is  My  Father's  World." 

"I  Think  When  I  Read  That  Sweet  Story." 

"Jesus,  Friend  of  Little  Children." 

"Be  Ye  Kind." 

"Friends." 

"God's  Children  Live  in  Many  Lands." 

Juniors 

"I  Would  Be  True." 

"For  the  Beauty  of  the  Earth." 

"Dare  to  Be  Brave,  Dare  to  Be  True." 

"Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Lord  God  Almighty." 

"Silent  Night,  Holy  Night." 

"God  of  Our  Boyhood." 

"Onward,  Christian  Soldiers." 

"Tell  Me  the  Stories  of  Jesus." 

"Dear  Lord  and  Father  of  Mankind." 

"We  Plow  the  Fields  and  Scatter." 

"America  the  Beautiful." 

Intermediates,  Seniors,  and  Young  People 
"O  Jesus,  I  have  Promised." 
"O  Master  Workman  of  the  Race." 
"O  Master,  Let  Me  Walk  with  Thee." 
"Dear  Lord  and  Father  of  Mankind." 
"God  Send  Us  Men." 
"I  Love  Thy  Kingdom,  Lord." 
"Take  My  Life  and  Let  It  Be." 
"In  Christ  There  Is  No  East  or  West." 
"Lead  On,  O  King  Eternal." 
"America  the  Beautiful." 
"Love  Divine,  All  Loves  Excelling." 
"Lord,  Speak  to  Me,  That  I  may  Speak." 
"Where  Cross  the  Crowded  Ways  of  Life." 
"Rise  Up,  O  Men  of  God." 
"For  the  Beauty  of  the  Earth." 

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CHAPTER  XII 
WORSHIP  AND  EVERYDAY  LIVING 

Two  men  were  walking  one  Sunday  morning  by  a  field 
of  growing  corn.  "John,"  said  one,  "did  you  ever  stop 
to  think  that  a  stalk  of  corn  grows  just  as  much  on 
Sunday  as  it  does  on  any  other  day  in  the  week?'* 

"  No,"  replied  John.  "What  if  it  does?  Why  shouldn't 
Sunday  be  just  as  good  a  day  for  growing  corn  as  Satur- 
day or  Monday?" 

"To  be  sure,"  answered  William,  who  had  started  the 
conversation  ;  "that  is  just  the  point.  I  was  just  think- 
ing that  Monday  and  Tuesday  and  the  other  work  days 
in  the  week  are  just  as  good  days  for  being  religious  as 
Sunday." 

In  answer  to  this  rather  startling  statement  John 
said  nothing  for  several  minutes.  Finally,  he  burst  out: 
"Bill,  you  are  right;  religion  isn't  worth  much  unless  it 
is  strong  enough  to  reach  from  the  church  out  into  the 
fields  and  homes  of  the  folks.'* 

The  practical  purpose  of  religion  is  to  help  men  see 
themselves  as  God  sees  them  and  help  them  reconstruct 
their  lives  along  the  lines  that  he  would  have  them  live. 
But  men  do  not  live  their  lives  alone.  They  are  in  con- 
stant contact  with  the  members  of  their  families,  their 
neighbors,  and  through  the  modern  means  of  travel  and 
communication,  even  with  the  people  of  other  lands 
and  nations.  The  religious  life  cannot  be  lived  alone. 
Neither  can  it  be  lived  just  on  the  Sabbath  day  and  at 

138 


WORSHIP  AND  EVERYDAY  LIVING 


the  church.  Nevertheless,  the  Church  is  important  and 
must  not  be  neglected.  So  is  the  Sabbath  day.  But  the 
business  of  being  religious — Christianly  religious,  at  any 
rate — is  a  matter  of  everyday  concern.  Every  thought, 
word,  and  act  in  our  entire  lives  has  religious  meaning. 
The  man  who  would  be  a  Christian  on  Sunday  must 
take  into  account  the  fact  that  he  must  also  be  a  Chris- 
tian on  the  other  six  days  of  the  week. 

It  is  this  vital  connection  of  religion  with  daily  life 
that  makes  worship  so  important.  As  long  as  men 
thought  of  religion  as  a  sort  of  "Sunday-go-to-meeting" 
affair  only,  it  did  not  make  much  difference  to  them 
whether  they  were  on  speaking  terms  with  God  or  not. 
In  fact,  the  worship  service  at  the  church  was  usually 
nothing  more  than  a  program  in  which  the  preacher  did 
most  of  the  talking  in  an  effort  to  please  God  and  keep 
him  in  a  good  humor  with  his  people. 

After  all,  the  purpose  of  worship  is  to  help  men  come 
into  such  close  fellowship  with  God  that  they  can  see 
what  is  wrong  with  their  lives  and  gain  the  strength 
to  correct  these  wrongs  in  the  light  of  God's  purpose 
for  them.  The  experience,  therefore,  becomes  a  sort  of 
power  house  for  Christian  living. 

And  that  is  exactly  the  purpose  for  which  Jesus  used 
the  worship  experience.  His  public  ministry  was  begun 
with  a  period  of  forty  days  and  nights  of  fasting  and 
prayer.  Again  and  again  during  the  three  years  of  his 
public  career  he  would  draw  his  disciples  aside  to  some 
quiet  place  or  retire  alone  to  some  secluded  spot  for  a 
few  hours  of  worship.  The  night  before  he  went  to  his 
death  on  the  cross  was  spent  in  prayer. 

139 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


Private  Worship 

The  most  desirable  result  of  all  our  programs  and 
training  of  people  in  worship  is  that  the  habit  of  devo- 
tion will  "carry  over"  into  the  affairs  of  daily  life.  In 
fact,  the  supreme  test  of  the  public  worship  service  may 
well  be  placed  at  this  point.  If  it  creates  a  strong  desire 
for  one  to  seek  the  companionship  of  God  in  the  privacy 
of  some  quiet  place  at  home  or  abroad,  it  has  been  a  real 
success. 

We  are  describing  private  worship  in  terms  of  com- 
panionship with  God  because  so  many  people  need  to 
realize  afresh  that  fellowship  with  God  is  a  simple 
friendly  act  rather  than  a  theological  argument.  A 
passage  in  the  Old  Testament  tells  us  that  "Enoch 
walked  with  God."  That  simply  means  that  Enoch 
and  God  were  on  such  friendly  terms  that  their  rela- 
tionship could  best  be  described  in  terms  of  going  on 
long  walks  together.  And  as  a  little  girl  explained  it: 
"One  day  they  walked  so  far  that  God  said: '  Enoch,  we 
are  nearer  my  house  than  yours;  you  go  on  home  with 
me.*    And  Enoch  did." 

A  thoughtful  Sunday  school  teacher  who  was  having 
his  first  experience  with  a  group  of  boys  asked  this 
question:  "What  should  a  person  try  to  do  during  the 
time  set  aside  for  his  private  worship?"  An  older  and 
more  experienced  teacher  replied  that  she  made  a 
practice  of  taking  the  lesson  for  next  Sunday  as  the 
basis  of  her  private  worship  on  at  least  one  day  during 
the  week. 

Not  only  was  the  suggestion  of  this  teacher  a  good 

140 


WORSHIP  AND  EVERYDAY  LIVING 


one,  but  we  could  well  use  it  as  a  basis  of  making  closer 
connection  between  the  regular  worship  services  on 
Sunday  morning  and  the  private  devotions  of  the  people 
throughout  the  week.  For  example,  the  suggestion  by 
the  leader  of  the  worship  service  that  a  hymn,  a  story, 
or  some  other  part  of  the  worship  service  be  used  during 
the  week  as  the  basis  of  private  worship  would  doubtless 
help  many  to  establish  the  experience  of  worship  as  a 
regular  feature  of  their  daily  life. 

Another  helpful  practice  is  that  of  carrying  a  copy 
of  the  New  Testament  in  one's  pocket  and  using  a  brief 
passage  from  it  as  the  basis  of  private  worship.  Some 
have  found  the  calling  to  mind  of  the  stanzas  of  a  hymn 
very  helpful.  It  would  be  well,  in  this  event,  to  study 
the  meaning  of  the  hymn  in  the  light  of  such  questions  as 
these:  "Just  what  does  this  hymn  mean  to  me?"  "What 
should  it  mean  to  all  men  everywhere?"  "How  may  I 
make  its  real  meaning  plain  to  my  neighbors?" 

Occasionally,  one  should  approach  the  time  set  for 
his  private  devotions  with  the  sole  purpose  of  listening 
to  the  voice  of  God.  The  majority  of  us  talk  too  much, 
anyhow.  God  needs  an  occasional  opportunity  to  "woo 
his  way  into  our  hearts." 

Worship  in  the  Home 

One  of  the  earliest  memories  that  I  have  of  my  father's 
home  is  connected  with  the  visit  of  the  "circuit  rider" 
and  his  efforts  to  convince  my  father  that  he  ought  to 
"hold  family  prayers  morning  and  evening"  every  day. 
Father  refused  to  undertake  the  task  because,  as  he  said, 

141 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


"it  was  too  big  a  job  for  anybody  who  wasn't  a  preach- 
er." 

And  right  here  is  the  center  of  the  difficulty  with  many 
deeply  religious  parents  who  have  the  training  of  their 
children  very  much  at  heart  and  who  would  gladly 
undertake  any  reasonable  task  for  their  good ;  they  think 
that  family  worship  is  such  a  difficult  enterprise  that 
nobody  short  of  a  minister  has  the  time  or  the  training 
for  it. 

EfTective  family  worship  is  not  a  difficult  or  boresome 
task  to  be  undertaken  only  because  of  a  sense  of  duty  to 
one's  children  and  to  God.  It  is  a  privilege  through 
which  the  members  of  the  family — father,  mother,  and 
children — may  share  in  Christian  fellowship  with  one 
another  and  with  God. 

There  is  a  home  that  I  sometimes  visit.  In  it  are  three 
big,  strapping  boys,  the  father,  and  the  mother.  The 
father  plays  the  piano  a  little ;  he  is  the  only  musician  of 
any  kind  in  the  family.  One  of  the  "after  supper"  habits 
of  this  family  is  to  gather  around  the  piano  and,  with  the 
father  playing,  sing  two  or  three  hymns.  Sometimes 
they  have  a  prayer;  more  frequently,  they  do  not.  But 
the  spirit  of  sincere  fellowship  and  devotion  is  there,  and 
while  the  boys  of  this  family  take  part  in  the  various 
school  and  community  activities  no  one  of  them  has 
given  any  sign  of  even  wanting  to  stand  anywhere  except 
on  the  right  side  of  every  issue. 

1.  Teaching  Children  to  Pray. — Many  parents  teach 
their  children  to  say  a  prayer.  That  familiar  prayer  of 
childhood  is  an  example: 

142 


WORSHIP  AND  EVERYDAY  LIVING 


Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep, 

I  pray  Thee,  Lord,  my  soul  to  keep; 

If  I  should  die  before  I  wake, 

I  pray  Thee,  Lord,  my  soul  to  take. 

But  too  many  parents  stop  here.  In  fact,  because  of 
the  overemphasis  upon  death,  it  is  never  wise  to  teach 
children  the  prayer  quoted  above.  If  it  is  taught 
children  at  all,  some  form  such  as  the  following  should  be 
used; 

Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep, 
I  pray  Thee,  Lord,  my  soul  to  keep; 
Thy  love  be  with  me  through  the  night 
And  keep  me  safe  till  morning  light. 

As  the  child's  interests  widen,  the  following  adapta- 
tion of  the  same  prayer  is  preferable : 

Now  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep. 
Heavenly  Father,  safely  keep 
All  thy  little  children  here 
And  in  all  lands,  far  and  near.^ 

But  simply  teaching  children  to  memorize  prayers  is 
not  enough.  It  is  the  spirit  and  fellowship  of  prayer 
that  we  are  anxious  for  them  to  know  and  enjoy.  It  is 
only  as  they  learn  to  pray  for  themselves  that  they  grow 
into  an  understanding  of  the  real  meaning  of  prayer. 

Fathers  and  mothers,  therefore,  should  begin  early  to 
encourage  their  children  to  "talk  with  God"  about  the 
happenings  of  daily  life.     These  prayers  will  startle 

^From  "Children's  Prayers — Recorded  by  Their  Mother." 
Copyright  by  the  Pilgrim  Press.    Used  by  permission, 

143 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


sometimes  even  the  most  experienced  of  parents  with 
their  vivid  reality.  One  four-year-old  youngster  paused 
in  saying  his  bedtime  prayer  long  enough  to  ask  God's 
permission  to  spank  his  two-year-old  brother  who  was 
tickling  his  foot. 

Parents  who  are  trying  to  help  their  children  learn  to 
pray  in  a  natural  and  wholesome  manner  will  find  such 
books  as  the  following  very  helpful:  "Children's  Prayers 
— Recorded  by  Their  Mother"  and  "The  Dawn  of 
Religion  in  the  Mind  of  the  Child,"  the  latter  by  Edith 
E.  Read  Mumford. 

2.  Grace  at  Meals. — Every  child  seems  to  feel  a  desire 
to  thank  Some  One  for  his  food  long  before  he  is  able  to 
express  any  very  definite  ideas  about  God.  Grace  at 
meals  not  only  provides  a  splendid  opportunity  for 
expressing  our  gratitude  to  God  for  food  and  daily 
blessings,  but  helps  us  to  realize  the  presence  of  the 
Unseen  Guest,  the  Infinite  Spirit  of  God. 

The  form  used  in  saying  grace  should  be  varied.  Pas- 
sages of  Scripture  may  be  used  occasionally.  A  stanza 
of  a  hymn  such  as, 

Break  thou  the  bread  of  life, 

Dear  Lord,  to  me, 
As  thou  didst  break  the  loaves 

Beside  the  sea; 
Beyond  the  sacred  page 

I  seek  thee,  Lord; 
My  spirit  pants  for  thee, 

O  living  Word, 

may  be  repeated  or  sung. 

Now  and  then,  it  will  be  helpful  to  follow  the  custom 

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WORSHIP  AND  EVERYDAY  LIVING 


of  our  Quaker  friends  and  have  grace  without  any 
spoken  words.  Each  person  simply  bows  his  head  for  a 
few  moments  of  silent  thanksgiving.  The  father  signals 
the  close  by  a  whispered  "Amen." 

Each  child,  as  soon  as  he  is  old  enough  to  talk, 
should  be  given  the  privilege  of  leading  the  family  in 
this  form  of  worship.  His  words  may  not  be  so  plainly 
pronounced  or  his  ideas  so  well  expressed  as  those  com- 
ing from  an  older  member  of  the  family,  but  the  op- 
portunity to  share  actively  in  this  act  of  family  worship 
will  go  a  long  way  toward  helping  him  to  realize  that  he 
is  a  member  of  a  larger  family — even  thefamily  of  God. 

3.  General  Family  Prayers. — The  story  in  the  earlier 
part  of  this  chapter  of  the  family  gathering  around  the 
piano  for  a  song  or  two  is  an  excellent  illustration  of  a 
practical  way  of  including  the  entire  family  in  a  few 
moments  of  worship. 

Somewhere,  somehow  every  family  should  strive  to 
have  a  few  minutes  together  during  the  day.  No  hard 
and  fast  rules  can  be  laid  down,  but  the  maintenance  of 
wholesome  family  life  is  dependent  upon  our  taking 
time  to  know  and  love  the  members  of  our  own  families. 

As  has  been  indicated,  music  forms  an  excellent  basis 
for  these  worship  periods.  In  the  event  that  the  family 
does  not  sing,  a  phonograph  with  a  good  variety  of 
sacred  selections  may  help  overcome  this  difficulty. 
Good  worship  music  is  also  available  over  the  radio. 
A  number  of  books  have  been  prepared  especially  for 
helping  busy  parents  who  are  anxious  to  have  whole- 
some family  worship.  One  of  the  most  practical  is  "A 
Book  of  Worship,"  by  Wade  Crawford  Barclay.    This 

145 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


volume  provides  a  brief  worship  service  for  each  day  in 
the  year.    Price  $2.50. 

How  THE  Home  and  the  Sunday  School  Can 
Cooperate  in  Worship 

In  addition  to  having  periods  of  worship  in  their  own 
homes  and  thereby  training  the  children  in  the  meaning 
of  real  worship,  parents  can  cooperate  with  the  worship 
services  of  the  Sunday  school  in  at  least  two  other  ways. 

First,  they  can  take  advantage  of  the  fact  that 
younger  children  especially  like  to  talk  about  the  things 
that  they  take  part  in.  A  few  simple  questions  at  the 
dinner  table  after  the  family  has  returned  from  Sunday 
school  will  give  the  children  in  the  home  an  opportunity 
to  tell  of  their  part  in  the  services  and  thereby  greatly 
strengthen  the  effect  of  the  service  upon  their  lives. 
These  questions  should  not  take  the  form  of  an  "exami- 
nation" about  the  mechanical  details  of  the  service. 
Rather  they  should  open  up  the  way  for  the  child  to 
describe  what  happened  and  what  it  means  to  him. 

Questions  of  a  general  nature  that  may  be  asked  fol- 
lowing almost  any  worship  service  are:  Did  you  enjoy 
the  service  this  morning?  What  was  the  thing  that  you 
liked  best  about  it?  Is  there  any  way  that  father  and 
mother  can  share  in  the  work  of  the  school? 

If  the  story  is  mentioned,  the  child  should  be  given 
an  opportunity  to  tell  it  in  his  own  words.  Then  the 
question  may  be  asked:  Why  do  you  like  this  story? 

Hymns  or  Scripture  passages  may  be  treated  in  the 
same  manner. 

Second,  parents  can  help  the  leaders  of  worship  in  the 

146 


WORSHIP  AND  EVERYDAY  LIVING 


Sunday  school  by  telling  them  of  the  difficult  problems 
and  interesting  activities  which  their  children  are  en- 
gaged in  at  home  and  in  the  community.  This  informa- 
tion will  give  the  leaders  of  worship  and  the  teacher  of 
the  child  an  opportunity  to  plan  the  worship  of  the 
school  around  the  daily  experiences  of  their  pupils.  In 
this  way,  worship  will  likely  be  more  real  to  the  children. 

Worship  through  Work 

The  spirit  In  which  we  go  about  our  daily  tasks  may 
be  truly  worshipful.  The  humblest  toil,  if  honestly  and 
cheerfully  done,  is  in  itself  a  magnificent  tribute  to  the 
God  who  ''made  the  heaven  and  the  earth." 

There  is  an  old  story  of  some  workmen  who  were 
engaged  in  quarrying  stone.  One  day  a  stranger  paused 
near  by  and  spoke  to  one  of  them.  "What  are  you 
doing?"  he  asked.  Without  so  much  as  looking  up,  the 
workman  replied,  "I  am  working  until  quitting  time 
this  evening." 

The  stranger  turned  to  another  workman  with  the 
same  question,  and  he  replied  almost  as  quickly,  "I  am 
working  for  five  dollars  a  day,  sir." 

Over  in  another  corner  of  the  quarry  was  another 
workman  who  seemed  to  be  busily  engaged  in  dressing  a 
large  piece  of  stone.  The  stranger  watched  him  for  a 
little  while  and  then  addressed  him  with  the  same 
question  that  he  had  asked  the  others.  The  workman 
flicked  a  bit  of  stone  from  his  chisel  before  answering. 
"Do  you  see  that  cathedral  over  yonder?"  he  asked. 
"Well,  /  am  helping  to  build  it,  sir." 

What  a  difference  in  the  outlook  of  these  men !  One 
147 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


was  watching  the  clock;  another  was  thinking  only  of 
pay  day ;  but  the  third  was  helping  to  build  a  magnificent 
cathedral. 

It  is  good  to  be  alive.  As  we  go  about  our  work  on  the 
farm,  at  the  office,  in  the  schoolroom,  or  in  the  home,  may 
we  keep  this  beautiful  prayer  in  our  hearts: 

Give  me  not  scenes  more  charming;  give  me  eyes 
To  see  the  beauty  that  around  me  lies; 
To  see  the  charm  of  soul,  see  angels  shy 
Among  the  faces  of  the  passers-by.^ 

^Quoted  by  Katherine  R.  Logan  in  "The  Upper  Road  of 
Vision."  Copyright  by  Richard  R.  Smith,  Inc.  Used  by  per- 
mission. 

148 


APPENDIX 

1.   WORSHIP  SERVICES  FOR  STUDY 

The  services  included  here  are  for  study  and  discus- 
sion by  Sunday  school  workers  who  are  interested  in 
improving  the  quality  of  the  services  in  their  own 
schools.  They  are  not  "model"  services  in  any  sense 
and  should  never  be  used  without  careful  study  and 
adaptation  to  local  conditions. 

Classes  or  groups  will  find  it  profitable  to  study  these 
services  along  with  programs  of  their  own  building. 
An  effort  should  be  made  to  test  them  by  the  prin- 
ciples discussed  in  the  earlier  chapters  of  this  book. 

Perhaps  the  first  step  in  the  study  of  these  services 
should  be  the  setting  down  of  all  questions  which  the 
class  wishes  to  ask  about  them.  For  example,  there 
will  be  such  major  questions  as  these; 

Will  this  service  help  the  worshiper  to  know  God? 

Does  it  have  any  connection  with  the  problems  or  needs 
of  the  worshipers? 

Is  the  material  (hymns,  prayers,  stories,  etc.)  used  in  the 
service  suited  to  the  purpose  of  the  service  as  expressed  in 
the  theme? 

Is  the  material  suitable  to  the  age  and  experience  of  the 
group  for  whom  the  service  is  planned? 

Does  it  provide  for  the  logical  development  of  the  worship 
experience  as  described  in  Chapter  I? 

Does  it  reveal  careful  planning  on  the  part  of  the  leader 
and  his  helpers? 

Will  it  tend  to  create  a  desire  for  further  worship  on  the 
part  of  those  who  share  in  it? 
149 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


The  Call  of  the  Upward  Road 

Instrumental  Music:  "I  Love  Thy  Kingdom,  Lord." 

Leader:  "A  day  In  thy  courts  is  better  than  a  thousand.  I 
would  rather  be  a  doorkeeper  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  than  to 
dwell  in  the  tents  of  wickedness." 

Hymn:  "Soldiers  of  Christ,  Arise."    (All  standing.) 
Psalm  121:  {School  remains  standing  and  reads  in  unison.) 
I  will  lift  up  mine  eyes  unto  the  hills, 
From  whence  cometh  my  help. 

My  help  cometh  from  the  Lord, 
Which  made  heaven  and  earth. 

He  will  not  suffer  thy  foot  to  be  moved : 
He  that  keepeth  thee  will  not  slumber. 

Behold,  he  that  keepeth  Israel 
Shall  neither  slumber  nor  sleep. 

The  Lord  is  thy  keeper: 

The  Lord  is  thy  shade  upon  thy  right  hand. 

The  sun  shall  not  smite  thee  by  day. 
Nor  the  moon  by  night. 

The  Lord  shall  preserve  thee  from  all  evil: 
He  shall  preserve  thy  soul. 

The  Lord  shall  preserve  thy  going  out  and  thy  coming  in 
From  this  time  forth,  and  even  for  evermore. 

Prayer:  {By  a  young  man.    School  seated  and  heads  bowed.) 
Our  heavenly  Father,  we  thank  thee  that  thou  hast  given  us  the 
everlasting  and  eternal  hills.     We  thank  thee  that  they  lift  up 
their  heads  above  the  smoke  and  the  fog  that  hide  the  lowlands 
of  life  from  the  brightness  of  the  rising  sun. 

150 


WORSHIP  SERVICES  FOR  STUDY 


Our  Father,  we  would  not  only  turn  our  eyes  to  the  hills  from 
whence  cometh  thy  help  to  the  sons  of  men,  but  we  would  climb 
their  rugged  slopes  and  know  for  ourselves  the  joy  of  traveling 
the  roads  that  lead  onward  and  upward. 

We  pray  not  for  easy  tasks;  but  for  strength  to  do  the  things 
that  are  hard  and  difficult. 

May  we  see  thy  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  as  he  walked  the  road  that 
led  up  a  hill  and  to  a  cross;  and  seeing  him,  resolve  anew  to  place 
our  hands  in  his  and  follow  where  he  leads.    Amen. 

Talk:  "Why  Choose  the  Upward  Road?"  {The  following 
suggestions  may  serve  as  an  outline.) 

The  call  of  the  upward  road  comes  to  all,  but  especially  to 
young  men  and  women.  It  is  our  privilege  to  answer.  In  fact, 
we  must  answer.  Whether  we  think  of  it  or  not,  we  are  daily 
choosing  the  roads  that  we  travel. 

Why  choose  the  upward  road?  Everybody  knows  that  it  is 
more  difficult  than  the  broad  highway  that  follows  the  level 
surface  of  the  valley. 

First,  we  would  choose  the  upward  road  because  It  brings  out 
the  best  In  us.  Strange  as  It  may  seem,  It  Is  true  that  we  do  not 
grow  stronger  by  doing  easy  things.  Walking  on  level  ground 
does  not  develop  one's  strength  like  climbing  mountains.  The 
boy  who  always  selects  the  easy  problems  In  his  class  In  mathe- 
matics never  becomes  a  great  mathematician.  The  team  that 
plays  only  those  opponents  that  are  easily  beaten  never  becomes 
a  champion. 

Second,  the  upward  road  is  the  way  of  greatest  opportunity. 
There  is  an  old  saying  that  "there  Is  room  at  the  top."  It  Is 
true,  because  so  many  people  are  content  with  less  than  the 
best.  No  matter  how  high  we  may  climb,  there  Is  always  room 
ahead.  New  visions,  new  opportunities  are  always  open  to  him 
who  moves  upward. 

Choosing  the  upward  road  does  not  mean  that  you  must 
necessarily  leave  home.  We  begin  to  climb  where  we  are.  It  is 
just  a  matter  of  taking  an  upward  step.  We  can  climb  the  up- 
ward road  of  better  living  In  our  homes;  of  better  work  In  our 

151 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


Sunday  schools  and  churches;  of  service  to  our  fellow  man  in 
our  own  community. 

Hymn:     "Rise  Up,  O  Men  of  God. "    (May  be  sung  by  entire 
school  or  read  by  the  leader  as  a  closing  prayer. ) 

Rise  up,  O  men  of  God ! 

Have  done  with  lesser  things; 
Give  heart  and  soul  and  mind  and  strength 

To  serve  the  King  of  kings. 

Rise  up,  O  men  of  God ! 

His  kingdom  tarries  long; 
Bring  in  the  day  of  brotherhood 

And  end  the  night  of  wrong. 

Lift  high  the  cross  of  Christ ! 

Tread  where  his  feet  have  trod : 
As  brothers  of  the  Son  of  Man 

Rise  up,  O  men  of  God!^ 

Instrumental     Music:     "Onward,      Christian      Soldiers." 
(While  pupils  march  to  places  assigned  for  class  work.) 


The  Practice  of  Peace 

(Suitable  for  use  on  the  Sunday  before  Armistice  Day) 
Leader:     (Walking  to  front  of  platform.)     "Grace  be  unto  you, 
and  peace,  from  God  our  Father  and  from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
Hymn:    "God  of  Our  Fathers,  Whose  Almighty  Hand." 
Scripture  Reading:    1  Corinthians  13:  1-13.    (To  be  read  by 
some  one  who  has  carefully  prepared  for  it.) 

Story:  "Two  Monks  Who  Tried  to  Quarrel." 
On  the  hills  of  Europe  are  the  ruins  of  many  monasteries. 
A  long  time  ago  men  who  were  called  monks  lived  in  these  mon- 
asteries. The  best  of  these  monks  did  a  great  many  wonderful 
things.  Some  of  them  painted  great  pictures  which  we  «till 
admire.     Some  wrote  and  played  and  sang  music  which  we  still 

1  By  William  P.  Merrill.    Used  by  permission. 
152 


WORSHIP  SERVICES  FOR  STUDY 


love.  Some  spent  years  in  making  copies  of  the  Bible,  doing 
all  the  lettering  by  hand,  before  there  were  any  printing  presses, 
and  these  beautiful  manuscripts  can  still  be  seen  in  the  museums. 
Many  of  the  monks  often  went  down  to  the  villages  round  about, 
reading  and  preaching  to  the  people  and  helping  them  in  various 
ways.    Altogether,  they  lived  a  peaceful,  happy,  and  useful  life. 

One  day  one  of  these  monks  said  to  another,  "Let's  have  a 
quarrel."  "A  quarrel?"  said  his  friend.  "What's  a  quarrel? 
I'm  sure  that  I  don't  know  how  to  quarrel."  "Very  well," 
said  the  first  monk,  "I'll  show  you."  So  the  first  monk  tried 
to  show  the  second  one  how  to  quarrel. 

"Now,  you  see  this  brick,"  he  said.  "We  will  place  it  on  the 
ground  between  us.  Then  I  will  say,  'This  brick  is  mine.'  Then 
you  must  say,  'O  no!  It  is  mine.'  Then  I  will  say,  'But  I  say  it 
is  mine,'  and  so  we  shall  have  a  quarrel."  "All  right,"  said  the 
second  monk,  "let's  begin." 

So  the  first  monk  put  a  brick  down  on  the  ground.  "Do  you 
see  that  brick?  Well,  it's  mine."  "O  no,"  said  the  other,  "it  is 
mine."  "But  I  tell  you  it  is  mine,"  shouted  the  first  monk. 
"Well,  then,"  said  the  other,  "well,  then — take  it!"  They  had 
forgotten  how  to  quarrel. 

How  often  we  quarrel  over  petty  little  trifles.  We  think  that 
war  is  a  terrible  thing,  and  yet  war  is  just  quarreling  and  fighting 
on  a  big  scale — and  sometimes  things  that  nations  quarrel  about 
are  just  trifles.  If  only  people  could  just  forget  how  to  quarrel, 
there  wouldn't  be  any  more  war. 

The  two  monks  didn't  fight.  They  had  forgotten  how.  They 
had  lived  so  long  in  friendliness  and  peace  that  it  was  impossible 
for  them  even  to  get  angry. 

Jesus  said  that  we  should  love  even  our  enemies  and  do  good 
to  those  who  do  us  harm,  as  well  as  to  those  who  are  good  to  us, 
so  that  we  may  be  children  of  our  heavenly  Father.  Love 
conquereth  all  things.    Let's  all  forget  how  to  quarrel.^ 

^Adapted  from  the  story,  "Two  Monks  Who  Tried  to  Quarrel," 
in  "Little  Ten  Minutes,"  by  F.  T.  Bayley.  Fleming  H.  Revell 
Company.    Used  by  permission. 

153 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


Prayer ;  {By  the  leader.  School  remains  seated.)  Our  Heavenly 
Father,  we  ask  that  thou  wilt  forgive  us  for  being  so  ready  to 
quarrel  and  strive  against  one  another;  nation  against  nation, 
and  brother  against  brother.  May  we,  like  these  monks  of  old, 
live  in  friendliness  and  peace  together  until  it  will  be  impossible 
for  us  to  make  war  upon  one  another.  May  we  seek  to  know  the 
meaning  of  thy  love  in  our  daily  lives.  Grant  that  through  the 
practice  of  brotherly  love  we  may  overcome  all  hatred  and 
prejudice  and  make  the  kingdom  of  thy  Son,  the  Prince  of  Peace, 
to  come  in  all  the  world. 

And  this  we  ask  in  his  name.    Amen. 

Hymn:  "America."  (After  singing  the  first  stanza  bring  the 
service  to  a  close  by  singing  the  following  stanza  to  the  tune  of 
'*  America.  "^ 

God,  grant  us  now  thy  peace, 

Bid  all  dissensions  cease; 

God,  send  us  peace — 

Peace  in  true  liberty, 

Peace  in  equality, 

Peace  and  fraternity, 

God,  send  us  peace. 

Benediction  by  the  Leader :  "  Grace  be  unto  you,  and  peace, 
from  God  our  Father  and  from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 


The  Spirit  of  Christmas  3 

Instrumental  Prelude:  Music  of  "Silent  Night!  Holy 
Night!" 

Hymn:  "Silent  Night!  Holy  Night!"  {Sing  softly  while  school 
remains  seated.) 

Prayer :  {By  the  leader.)  We  thank  thee,  Father,  for  great  days 
in  our  calendar.  We  thank  thee  for  Christmas,  the  best  day  of 
all.     We  thank  thee  for  the  meaning  of  the  day,  and   more 

3This  service  of  worship  was  prepared  by  Rev.  L  L.  Claud  and 
used  in  the  Sunday  school  at  Newark,  Ark.,  on  the  Sunday  before 
Christmas,  1929. 

154 


WORSHIP  SERVICES  FOR  STUDY 


especially  for  the  spirit  that  pervades  our  people.  Lord,  make 
our  generosity  Christian  and  our  celebrations  religious.  As  the 
Father  gave  because  he  loved  so,  and  the  wise  men  gave  as  an 
act  of  worship,  help  us  to  give  that  we  might  bring  good  cheer 
and  advance  the  kingdom  of  thy  dear  Son.  Thou  didst  give  the 
perfect  gift,  and  the  wise  men  gave  precious  and  valuable  gifts; 
help  us  then  to  give  our  very  best  to  thee,  O  Lord.  Finally,  O 
God,  help  us  that  the  spirit  of  all  our  Christmas  celebration  may 
be  In  the  spirit  of  the  Christ  whose  birthday  this  is.  We  ask  it 
humbly  in  his  name.    Amen. 

Hymn:    "O  Worship  the  King."    (School  standing.) 

Scripture:  Matthew  2:  1,  2,  10,  U;  Luke  2:  10-14. 

Reading  or  Talk:  **  Keeping  Christmas."  (By  a  young  man  or 
woman.) 

It  is  a  good  thing  to  observe  Christmas  Day.  The  mere  marking 
of  times  and  seasons,  when  men  agree  to  stop  work  and  make 
merry  together,  is  a  wise  and  wholesome  custom.  It  helps  one 
to  feel  the  supremacy  of  the  common  life  over  the  individual  life. 
It  reminds  a  man  to  set  his  own  little  watch,  now  and  then,  by 
the  great  clock  of  humanity  which  runs  on  sun  time. 

But  there  Is  a  better  thing  than  the  observance  of  Christmas 
Day,  and  that  Is  keeping  Christmas. 

Are  you  willing  to  forget  what  you  have  done  for  other  people 
and  to  remember  what  other  people  have  done  for  you;  to  ignore 
what  the  world  owes  you ;  to  put  your  rights  in  the  background 
and  your  chances  to  do  a  little  more  than  your  duty  In  the  fore- 
ground; to  see  that  your  fellow  men  are  just  as  real  as  you  are 
and  try  to  look  behind  their  faces  to  their  hearts,  hungry  for  joy; 
to  own  that  probably  the  only  good  reason  for  your  existence  is 
not  what  you  are  going  to  get  out  of  life,  but  what  you  are  going 
to  give  to  life;  to  close  your  book  of  complaints  against  the 
management  of  the  universe  and  look  around  you  for  a  place 
where  you  can  sow  a  few  seeds  of  happiness — are  you  willing  to 
do  these  things  even  for  a  day?    Then  you  can  keep  Christmas. 

155 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


And  if  you  keep  it  for  a  day,  why  not  always? 
But  you  can  never  keep  it  alone.* 

Hymn :    "  Joy  to  the  World. "     (School  standing.) 
Prayer  of  Dismissal:    The  Lord's  Prayer.     (In  unison.) 


2.  MATERIALS  FOR  USE  IN  WORSHIP 
SERVICES 

The  material  included  here  has  been  selected  with  the 
view  of  supplementing  whatever  other  worship  ma- 
terials the  Sunday  school  may  have  as  a  part  of  its 
regular  working  equipment. 

Calls  to  Worship 

Leader:      O  come,  let  us  worship  and  bow  down: 

Let  us  kneel  before  the  Lord  our  maker. 
School:      Let  us  come  before  his  presence  with  thanksgiving, 
And  make  a  joyful  noise  unto  him  with  psalms. 

(Psalm  95:  6,  2.) 


Leader:      Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul: 

And  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  his  holy  name. 
School:      Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul, 

And  forget  not  all  his  benefits. 

(Psalm  103:  1,  2.) 


O  let  the  nations  be  glad  and  sing  for  joy: 
For  thou  shalt  judge  the  people  righteously, 
And  govern  the  nations  upon  earth. 

(Psalm  67:  4.) 

4 From  "The  Spirit  of  Christmas,"  by  Henry  van  Dyke.  Copy- 
right, 1905,  by  Charles  Scribner's  Sons.  By  permission  of  the 
publishers. 

156 


WORSHIP  MATERIALS 


Leader:  Give  ear  to  my  words,  O  Lord;  consider  my  medi- 
tation. 

School:      Hearken  unto  the  voice  of  my  cry,  my  King,  and 
my  God: 
For  unto  thee  will  I  pray.  (Psalm  5:  1,  2.) 


I  was  glad  when  they  said  unto  me, 
Let  us  go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord. 

(Psalm  122:  1.) 

Responses 

Quite  often  the  leader  of  worship  will  find  it  very 
helpful  to  have  the  school  sing  a  response  to  the  "  Call  to 
Worship."  That  is,  the  leader  recites  the  first  line  and 
the  school  sings  or  chants  the  second.  The  one  given 
herewith  is  easily  learned  and  is  very  beautiful. 

Leader:  "The  Lord  is  in  his  holy  temple." 

Cbant  iAttsing) 


Let        all         the     earth     keep        si    -   lencc         be  •  fore        W'tiL 


T-^ — p — £? — t — p — I r-^t r- 

Both  lines  may  be  sung  as  in  the  following: 

Li  XJmam  or  JIabmokt 


Kaml  p.  HAmmoMW 


^ 


^ 


^ 


m 


Tb«      Loid       to         'in 


^ 


His        bo    •    ly--  •    tem  •    pie; 


p^ 


ita 


^ 


157 


WORSHI?  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


OovyilsbW  1906,  bjr  SmiUi  4  Uns 


A  beautiful  response^  for  use  in  connecton  with  the 
offering  is : 


d  of  Thine  ow 


All  things  come  of  The«,0  Lord:  and  of  Thine  own  have  we    giv-en    Thee.    A -men. 


\rw 


Prayers 

Every  school  should  memorize  a  number  of  prayers 
suitable  for  use  when  the  leader  desires  that  the  entire 
group  join  with  him  in  audible  prayer. 

A  Prayer  of  Reverence 

O  Thou  who  art  the  God  of  power  and  of  love,  we  come  to 
Thee  with  thankful  praise  and  adoration.  Without  Thee  there 
is  no  life,  nor  any  joy.  Thou  hast  made  the  world  in  all  its 
beauty.  Thou  dost  cause  the  sun  to  give  us  warmth  and  light. 
The  shining  stars  obey  Thy  will;  the  flowers  are  also  Thy  min- 
isters. 

Teacher  us,  O  Father,  true  obedience  to  Thy  perfect  law. 

6 From  "The  Book  of  Worship  of  the  Church  School,"  by 
Hugh  Hartshorne.    Charles  Scribner's  Sons.    Used  by  permission. 

158 


WORSHIP  MATERIALS 


From  all  proud  thoughts  defend  us.  In  our  ignorance,  Thy 
wisdom  give  us.  Make  us  strong  in  Thine  eternal  strength. 
And  thus,  enfolded  by  Thy  love,  may  we  live  in  fellowship  with 
Thee,  O  God,  forever.    Amen.^ 


A  Class  Prayer 

O  God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  we  thank  Thee  for  the  homes  we 
love,  for  the  friends  Thou  hast  sent  us,  and  for  all  Thy  gifts  to  us. 
May  we  carry  Thy  blessings  to  others,  as  Thou  hast  freely  given 
them  to  us. 

Keep  in  safety  those  who  are  not  with  us  to-day  and  all  those 
whom  we  love;  and  grant  us  and  all  Thy  children  the  will  and 
strength  to  follow  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour.    Amen." 


Thanksgiving  for  God's  Out-of-Doors 

We  thank  Thee,  O  Lord,  for  the  things  that  are  out-of-doors; 
for  the  fresh  air  and  the  open  sky  and  the  growing  grass  and  the 
tiny  flowers  and  the  setting  sun  and  the  wooded  hill  and  the 
brown  earth  beneath  our  feet.  They  are  all  good,  and  they  all 
speak  the  truth,  and  we  rest  ourselves  and  get  new  strength  to 
go  back  to  the  world  of  restless  men.  Keep  us  ever  like  thy  good 
world,  rugged  and  wholesome  and  true.    Amen." 


A  Prayer  of  Youth 

Give  me  clean  hands,  clean  words,  and  clean  thoughts;  help 
me  to  stand  for  the  hard  right  against  the  easy  wrong;  save  me 
from  habits  that  harm;  teach  me  to  work  as  hard  and  play  as 
fair  in  thy  sight  alone  as  if  all  the  world  saw;  forgive  me  when  I 
am  unkind;  and  help  me  to  forgive  those  who  are  unkind  to 

*From  "The  Book  of  Worship  of  the  Church  School,"  by 
Hugh  Hartshorne.  Charles  Scribner's  Sons.  Used  by  per- 
mission. 

'"Outdoor  Prayers — Dartmouth  Outing  Club."  Quoted  in 
"Hymnal  for  American  Youth." 

159 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


me;  keep  me  ready  to  help  others  at  some  cost  to  myself;  send 
me  chances  to  do  a  little  good  every  day,  and  to  grow  more  like 
Christ.    Amen.8 

Benedictions 

A  benediction  in  which  the  entire  school  joins  is  an 
effective  way  of  closing  a  worship  service.  The  twelfth 
verse  of  the  ninetieth  Psalm  is  a  familiar  unison  benedic- 
tion: "So  teach  us  to  number  our  days,  that  we  may 
apply  our  hearts  unto  wisdom." 

The  letters  of  St.  Paul  have  a  great  many  passages 
that  may  be  used  as  benedictions  by  any  school.  A 
familiar  one  is  the  last  verse  of  Second  Corinthians: 

The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  love  of  God,  and 
the  communion  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  be  with  you  all. 

In  some  instances  it  may  be  necessary  to  make 
slight  changes  in  the  arrangement  of  a  Scripture  passage 
in  order  to  make  it  helpful  as  a  benediction.  The 
following  benedictions  are  based  upon  Scripture  pas- 
sages, but  the  arrangement  of  the  words  has  been 
changed  somewhat : 

The  Lord  bless  us  and  keep  us; 

The  Lord  make  His  face  to  shine  upon  us  and  be 

gracious  unto  us; 
The  Lord  lift  up  His  countenance  upon  us,  and  give 
us  peace.    Amen.^ 
May  the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding,  that 
peace  which  the  world  can  neither  give  nor  take  away,  be  with 
us  now,  and  abide  in  our  hearts  forevermore.    Amen. 

8  William  DeWitt  Hyde.  Quoted  in  the  '*  Hymnal  for  American 
Youth." 

^From  "Manual  for  Training  in  Worship,"  by  Hugh  Harts- 
horne.    Charles  Scribner's  Sons.     Used  by  permission. 

160 


STARTING  A  LIBRARY 


3.   STARTING  A  LIBRARY  OF  WORSHIP 
MATERIALS  10 

Every  Sunday  school,  no  matter  how  small,  should 
oegin  the  collection  of  worship  material  suitable  for  use 
in  its  services.  A  few  dollars  a  year  for  appropriate 
magazines,  songbooks,  and  books  of  worship  stories 
will  go  a  long  way  toward  providing  the  school  with  all 
the  worship  material  that  it  needs. 

While  no  effort  is  made  to  list  here  all  the  materials 
that  might  prove  useful  in  the  worship  services  of  a 
Sunday  school,  it  is  hoped  that  these  suggestions  will  be 
helpful  especially  to  the  Sunday  school  workers  who  are 
unacquainted  with  the  sources  of  worship  materials. 

1.  Songbooks:  Each  school  will  need  enough  copies  of 
some  good  standard  hymnal  for  use  in  the  general 
worship  service  of  the  school.  One  of  the  following  will 
meet  this  need: 

"The  New  Cokesbury  Hymnal."  Lamar  and  Whitmore, 
810  Broadway,  Nashville,  Tenn.    35  cents. 

"American  Church  and  Church  School  Hymnal."  E.  O. 
Excell  Company,  810  Fine  Arts  Building,  Chicago,  111. 
60  cents. 

"Hymnal  for  American  Youth."    Century  Company.    $1. 

"Hymnal  for  Young  People."  A.  S.  Barnes  and  Company. 
$1.25. 

In  addition  to  a  liberal  supply  of  one  of  these  general- 
purpose  hymnals,  the  teachers  of  the  children's  classes 

^"All  books  and  magazines  listed  here  can  be  ordered  through 
Lamar  &  Whitmore,  810  Broadway,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

161 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


should  be  supplied  with  at  least  one  of  the  recommended 
books  for  the  corresponding  age-groups.^^ 

If  the  Beginner  and  Primary  Departments  are  com- 
bined, the  teachers  should  be  supplied  with  the  follow- 
ing: 

"Worship  and  Conduct  Songs  for  Beginners  and  Pri- 
maries," by  Elizabeth  Shields.  Presbyterian  Committee 
of  Publication.    $1. 

"Melodies,"  Leyda  Publshing  Company. 

2.  Magazines  :^^ 

The  International  Journal  of  Religious  Education.  5  South 
Wabash  Avenue,  Chicago,  111.     Per  annum,  $1.50. 

The  Workers'  Council.  Lamar  &  Whitmore,  810  Broad- 
way, Nashville,  Tenn.     Per  annum,  $1. 

The  Elementary  Teacher.  Lamar  &  Whitmore,  810 
Broadway,  Nashville,  Tenn.     Per  annum,  $1. 

3.  Books: 

(1)  Books  on  the  meaning  of  worship: 

"Training  the  Devotional  Life,"  by  L.  A.  Weigle  and 
H.  H.  Tweedy.    Pilgrim  Press.    75  cents. 

"Modern  Worship,"  by  Von  Ogden  Vogt.  Yale  Uni- 
versity.   $2. 

"Methods  of  Private  Religious  Living,"  by  Henry  Nelson 
Wieman.    Macmillan.    $1.75. 

For  workers  with  Beginners  (4-  and  5-year-oId  children): 
"The  Worship  of  the  Little  Child,"  by  Edna  Dean  Baker. 
Cokesbury  Press.    75  cents. 

"Write  your  denominational  headquarters  for  a  list  of 
approved  songbooks  and  magazines  carrying  worship  materials. 
Workers  in  Sunday  schools  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  should  write  to  the  General  Sunday  School  Board,  810 
Broadway,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

162 


STARTING  A  LIBRARY 


For  workers  with  Primaries  (6-,  7-,  and  8-year-old  chil- 
dren): "Worship  Training  for  Primary  Children/'  by  Clara 
Beers  Blashfield.    Abingdon  Press.    $1. 

For  workers  with  Juniors  (9-,  10-,  and  11-year-old  chil- 
dren): "Training  Juniors  in  Worship,"  by  Mary  Alice 
Jones.    Cokesbury  Press.    $1. 

For  workers  with  Young  People:  "Training  Young  People 
in  Worship,"  by  Shaver  and  Stock.    Pilgrim  Press.     $1.25. 

(2)  Books  on  method  in  story-telling: 

"Stories  and  Story-Telling,"  by  Edward  Porter  St. 
John.     Pilgrim  Press.     75  cents. 

"  How  to  Tell  Stories  to  Children,"  by  Sara  Cone  Bryant. 
Houghton  Mifflin.     $1.50. 

"For  the  Story  Teller,"  by  Carolyn  S.  Bailey.  Milton 
Bradley  Company.    $1.75. 

(3)  Books  of  stories: 

"Knights  of  Service,"  by  Emerson  Bradshaw.  Abingdon 
Press.    75  cents. 

"Why  the  Chimes  Rang  and  Other  Stories,"  by  Raymond 
Alden.    Bobbs- Merrill  Company.    $2.50. 

"Story  Worship  Programs  for  the  Church  School  Year," 
by  Jay  S.  Stowell.    Doubleday,  Doran  &  Co.     $1.50. 

"More  Story  Worship  Programs,"  by  Jay  S.  Stowell. 
Doubleday,  Doran  &  Co.    $1.75. 

"Stories  of  Brotherhood,"  by  H.  B.  Hunting.  Missionary 
Education  Movement.    75  cents. 

"One  Hundred  and  One  Hymn  Stories,"  by  Carl  F. 
Price.    Abingdon  Press.    75  cents. 

"  More  Hymn  Stories,"  by  Carl  F.  Price.  Abingdon  Press. 
75  cents. 

"Hymn  Stories,"  by  Elizabeth  Colson.  Pilgrim  Press. 
$1.25. 

"Story  Worship  Material."  National  Girls'  Work  Board, 
Toronto,  Canada. 

163 


WORSHIP  IN  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


(4)  Books  on  the  use  of  pictures  in  worship: 

"The  Use  of  Art  in  Religious  Education,"  by  A.  E.  Bailey. 
Abingdon  Press.    $1. 

"  Pictures  Every  Child  Should  Know,"  by  Mary  Schell 
Bacon.    Gossett  and  Dunlap.    $1. 

"How  to  Show  Pictures  to  Children,"  by  E.  M.  Hurll. 
Houghton  Mifflin  Company.    $2. 

"Famous  Bible  Pictures  and  Stories  They  Tell,"  by 
Elizabeth  Hubbard  Bonsall.  American  Sunday  School 
Union,  Philadelphia.    $1.50. 

(5)  Books  on  the  use  of  pageants  and  dramas: 

"Pageants  for  Special  Days  in  the  Church  Year,"  by 
Mary  M.  Russell.     Doubleday,  Doran  &  Co.     $1.50. 

"Dramatization  of  Bible  Stories,"  by  Elizabeth  Miller 
Lobingier.    University  of  Chicago  Press.    $1.25. 

"Use  of  Drama  in  Religious  Education."  Pamphlet  Issued 
by  the  Religious  Education  Association,  308  North  Michigan 
Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

(6)  Outdoor  services: 

"Services  for  the  Open,"  by  L.  I.  Mattoon  and  H.  D. 
Bragdon.    Century  Company.    $1. 

(7)  Books  of  prayer: 

"  Manual  for  Training  In  Worship,"  by  Hugh  Hartshorne. 
Charles  Scribner's  Sons.    $1.50. 

"A  Book  of  Modern  Prayers,"  by  S.  McComb.  Long- 
mans, Green  &  Co.    $1.50. 

"  Prayers  of  the  Social  Awakening,"  by  Walter  Rauschen- 
busch.     Pilgrim  Press.    $1. 

"A  Girl's  Book  of  Prayers,"  by  Margaret  Slattery.  Pil- 
grim Press.    35  cents. 

164 


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